We have completed our Lenten journey and our celebration of the Sacred Triduum. Beginning with Morning Prayer today we embark upon what can only be called the "second" most holy week, Easter Week. The celebration of Christ's resurrection is so central to our faith that the Church observes a full octave of Easter in which we proclaim the texts which highlight the various appearances of the Risen Lord Jesus to his apostles and disciples. Saints Matthew, Luke and John all tell such stories, each reflecting their particular evangelistic purpose.
Saint Matthew was writing for the members of the Jewish Community of Jerusalem who had placed their faith in Jesus. He writes rather cursorily about Jesus' meeting with the women who discovered the empty tomb. Then he turns his attention to the reaction of the Jewish authorities and how they tried to squelch the news by bribing the soldiers who had been guarding the tomb.
Saint Luke tells the story of the disciples who were returning to their home of Emmaus and then recounts Jesus' appearance in the upper room where the disciples had gathered to ponder the news. His concern is obviously about those who have become discouraged and frightened by the news of the Resurrection.
Saint John, writing much later than the other evangelists, expresses concern for those who will come later, those who will not be eyewitnesses. He writes his stories to bolster the faith of the members of the community who have heard but have not seen.
Notice that Saint Mark has no stories of Jesus appearing to the disciples. In fact his Gospel ended with the women being so frightened over their experience at the tomb that they ran away and told no one about the experience. Only after the other evangelists began to tell stories did someone amend St. Mark's Gospel to include a summary of the various appearances.
These stories reveal that the early Christian community was understandably confused and dazzled by the news of the Resurrection. Jesus appears sporadically and to a chosen few. Most believers base their faith on what they have heard. The same is true for us. Through our retelling of the story, we gradually begin to understand that the Resurrection is just as powerful a story today as it was 2,000 years ago. It is a story of developing faith, a story that gets better with retelling, a story that prompts us to spend quiet moments in prayerful consideration of how this story influences my life.
The Church asks us to set aside this week to enter into the mystery. Indeed, Easter is a fifty day celebration. While our Lenten journey is completed for another year, the Church asks us to continue to pray about and over the ramifications of Christ's life giving death and resurrection and how it informs our faith and guides us on the path of that faith.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator