Daily Catholic Lectio. Mon, 21 April ’25. He Encountered Them

Daily Catholic Lectio

Mon, 21 April ‘25

Easter Octave – Monday

Acts 2:14, 22–33. Matthew 28:8–15

He Encountered Them

According to the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus was buried in the empty tomb, two groups set out from it. The first group was the women, who ran to tell the apostles the good news. The second group was the soldiers, who went to report the events to the chief priests. Jesus encounters the first group—the women. The second group, however, goes into the city on their own and begins spreading a rumour. For some of Jesus’ contemporaries, the Resurrection was nothing more than a rumour or a fabricated story.

Several expressions in today’s Gospel passage invite deeper reflection:

(a) “They clung to His feet”

When the women who had come to anoint Jesus encountered Him—or rather, when He encountered them—they held on to His feet. This action is significant in two ways: 

First, it affirms that the Risen Jesus had a physical body. In the early Church, many questions arose about whether Jesus had a real, tangible body after the Resurrection. Thus, the evangelists recorded direct or indirect references to His bodily presence.

Second, the act of clinging to His feet implies a posture of worship. In Jewish tradition, such reverence was offered only to God. By recording this gesture, Matthew elevates Jesus to the divine status—He is not just risen; He is God.

(b) “Go to My brothers”

Here, Jesus refers to His disciples as “my brothers.”

In the Gospel of John, He calls them “friends.”

In the early Church, “brothers” became a significant term used for the apostles.

By using this term, Jesus shows: No anger or resentment toward the disciples who had deserted Him. He accepts their weakness and still claims them as His own. This simple word, “brothers,” carries a deep message of reconciliation, acceptance, and continued belonging.

(c) “Tell them to go to Galilee”

Galilee is where Jesus began His public ministry. By directing the disciples back there, Jesus is inviting them to start again from the beginning.

Jerusalem, the place of betrayal, trial, and death, was too overwhelming for the disciples. They couldn’t yet come to terms with all that had happened. So, to comfort them, Jesus sends them back to the place of joyful beginnings.

This shows us that no matter how broken or weak we may feel, God never renounces His claim over us.

Instead, He draws even closer to us and desires to rebuild that relationship from the beginning—from our personal Galilee.

The Contrast:

The chief priests, elders, and guards were zealous in spreading falsehood.

They used money, bribery, and lies to cover the truth.

Those who had experienced the Resurrection set out to begin anew, going where Jesus had directed them—to Galilee.

So, what does this reflection invite us to do?

Let us cling to the Risen Lord, with the faith of those women, recognizing both His presence and His divinity.

Let us remember that Jesus calls us “brothers”, no matter how much we may have failed Him.

When our life seems blocked or broken, let us return to our Galilee—the place where it all began, where we first heard Him, where our hearts were first set on fire.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of MaduraiMissionary of Mercy