By Cardinal Robert W. McElroy
The first appearance of the Risen Lord was to Mary Magdalene, she who in her faithfulness to Jesus had come early in the morning to stand in solidarity with the crucified Christ, even as she had stood in solidarity with Jesus as He hung on the cross.
The second witness to the Resurrection was Peter, running to the tomb to see if it was true that the Lord, whom he had both embraced and betrayed in life, was truly risen from the dead.
The next witnesses of the Resurrection were the disciples on the road to Emmaus, they who had sensed hope in the message of salvation that Jesus had brought into the world, but had lost that hope when Jesus was put to death and now were leaving Jerusalem, and their faith, behind.
In this Easter season, the Risen Lord reaches out to every one of us as pilgrims in this earthly city – in our moments of solidarity with Jesus Christ who has redeemed each and every one of us, in our moments of betrayal when we abandon the pathways of God, and in those moments when our faith and hope in the Lord are failing, and we are filled with questions.
Easter is the supreme moment in human history when the reality of our mission on this earth is revealed to the whole of humanity — to proclaim the grace and the mercy and the love of our God which sustains us in this life and welcomes us to the next. Whether we are standing in solidarity with Christ at this moment in our lives, or rent by betrayal, or beset with doubts, the joy of Easter beckons to us all to recognize the glory of God’s plan for our world, and to find peace beyond all understanding.
I pray for a truly blessed Easter for you and all those whom you love, and I pray that the transcending Risen Lord will be with you in abundance in these days.
