Easter Sunday (B)

(Edited) Reflections (from) Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006

"He saw and believed"


There are three characters in the Easter Sunday gospel: Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, and the other disciple (the one Jesus loved). In this resurrection account of John, it is Mary Magdalene who first witnessed that the stone of the tomb was moved away. And it was she who reported to Simon Peter and John that "they" had taken away the body of Jesus. When Mary mentioned "they", we are not sure to whom she was referring to, but what really is the focus of attention and importance, is the loss of the body of the Lord.

We see that Mary Magdalene's report to Peter and John sent the two "running" toward the tomb. The report of the loss of Jesus' body brought on an urgent response. As the two ran, the gospel tells us that John outran Peter, telling us that John was really much younger than Peter. However, when John arrived at the tomb, he peered and did not enter. It was Peter who went in when he arrived at the tomb. Peter saw the wrappings and the piece of cloth which had covered the head of Jesus. As Peter was examining these, it was then that John entered the tomb. The gospel tells us his response: "He saw and believed".

Three disciples of Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Peter and John. They were told by Jesus that He was to rise from the dead after three days. But they did not as yet understand this and what the Scriptures tell about this. It was the experience of the "empty tomb" that made them respond in different levels of faith to what Jesus taught and what Jesus' person meant to them. Mary's faith was on the level of the senses. Although she knew that Jesus told all of them that He was to rise from the dead after three days, her level of faith could not as yet integrate what her senses perceived. On the other hand, Peter's faith was one that sought understanding. When he entered the tomb and found that Jesus' body was not there, he "observed" the wrappings and the piece of cloth lying there. He wanted to "understand" what this evidences were and what this event-experience was. As to the disciple Jesus loved, we are told that "he saw and believed". John's faith in Christ, since he was closest to Jesus, has reached a level of love. And a faith that integrates the mystery of love, easily understands the mystery of God - especially the mystery of God in Jesus of Nazareth.

All of us are Marys, Peters, and Johns in some way or another, in our journey of faith in the risen Lord. Sometimes, our faith is on the level of the senses like Mary. We say to ourselves, "nothing in the Scripture explicitly says Jesus is risen". The resurrection accounts only describe an empty tomb. Or we may be like Peter who tries to understand and observe everything in the mystery of the empty tomb. Perhaps we may read the biblical context of everything reported about the Resurrection of Jesus and meditate on all the physical evidences and on its meaning - objectively and for ourselves. But, when we have the level of faith as John, whose faith was rooted in his being close to Christ, our contemplation on the mystery of Christ will lead us to exclaim in our hearts: "He is risen".