Dear Friend,
Can you imagine if Jesus had not risen from the dead?
He had told His disciples three times that everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man would be fulfilled: "The Son of Man will be handed over to the Gentiles, be mocked, insulted and spat upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him, but on the third day He will rise."
The disciples refused to believe this, as they could not accept that the Messiah, whom they had hoped would free Israel out of oppression, would be treated this way and killed.
When it did happen, the disciples were in such a state of shock and confusion that in the morning of the third day, some (disciples from Emmaus) had returned home.
Read the Gospel of this Sunday (Jn 20:1-10), the eyewitness account of the disciple whom Jesus loved, and find out how they have risen with Jesus.
Relate to your family how the events unfolded that morning of the third day.
Follow what John experienced to see what made him believe.
-
You heard Mary of Magdala telling Peter, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don‘t know where they put him."
-
Your heart jumped and saw Peter started to run and you followed.
-
Your mind started shifting the previous events and asked, "What is the meaning of this? Who
could have taken the body?"
-
You arrived at the tomb ahead of Peter and bent over to look inside the tomb.
-
You saw the burial cloths inside but could not enter. What stopped you?
-
Burial cloths bound a dead body and removing them would not be in the mind of someone interested in hiding a body. A disciple would not desecrate the body of Jesus. A robber would not leave behind the burial cloths; it has value. A servant ordered to take the body hastily would not have time to remove the burial cloths and leave them behind. If someone ever took the body, the burial cloths would not be left behind, you concluded.
-
He had indeed risen as He said He would.
Meditation ~
The disciples whom Jesus loved saw the evidence and believed.
Jesus had suffered much for me. He died and has now risen to eternal life with the Father as He promised I would, too – if I have loved.
It is now my turn to give a testimony of my "resurrection" to a new life of love.
Contemplation ~
Imagine yourself inside the empty tomb and sit by the burial cloths. Feel the rock where the body of Jesus had laid. Express your belief in the resurrection of the Lord, "I too believe."
Joe & Charito
THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MANILA'S
ONLINE RESOURCE FOR FAMILY MINISTRIES
www.simbahayan.org
servants@simbahayan.org
|