Daily Catholic Lectio
Sunday, 31 March 2024
Easter Sunday
Acts 10:34, 37-43. Colossians 3:1-4. John 20:1-9
Early in the morning!
In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes, “Christ, risen from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.” The resurrection of Jesus was a great experience for the disciples, and they could not describe how they felt about this experience. One thing is certain, that the disciples are no longer the same (cf. First Reading).
In today’s gospel, we have the story of John, the disciple loved by Jesus. This passage is placed in the penultimate chapter of the Gospel of John. The key words are ‘seeing’ and ‘believing.’ With these two words, in fact, John concludes by proclaiming blessed those who, despite not having seen, believe!
In our creed, we profess, ‘on the third day.’ But the day is the day after the crucifixion, that is, the day after the Sabbath, on Sunday, the first day of the week. In the Easter context, the expression ‘the first day’ suggests that a new day has begun for the world; it is a new creation.
Seeing that the stone has been removed, Mary does not enter the tomb but rushes to warn the disciples. Mary says that they took away the Lord, not his body. It is still dark, and this expresses the situation – inner disposition – of Magdalene and of the disciples.
Peter and John run towards the tomb. The disciple whom Jesus loved arrives first. Perhaps it is a sign of his youth or of the greater attachment he had to Jesus. However, out of respect for Peter, he does not enter; from just a glance at the tomb, he sees the clothes. If someone had stolen the body, they would have quickly taken it away with all the bandages. This fact is a response to the Magdalene hypothesis.
John instead speaks of the other disciple and says that, seeing that, he believed. What did he see? He did not see the risen man; he only saw traces left in the tomb. He was able to read the testimonies of the resurrection in those traces.
The resurrection of Jesus for us is an internal experience. We need the eyes of faith. The resurrection of the Lord is the foundation of our faith. The stone of the tomb was removed not to let Jesus out but to let the disciples in. In the empty tomb, we can’see’ and ‘believe.’
The resurrection of Jesus gives us three lessons:
The first, the lower ones, give space for the higher ones. The low self dies, and the new self comes to life. The lowly self of the disciples does, and the new self comes to life.
The second time, everything passes. The palms, the cross, Pilate, Herod, high priests, and the crowds. Everyone passes. Life goes on.
The third, the resurrection, is the foundation of our lives. So we must live life with faith, hope, and joy. We must seek what is above.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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