From a Hopeless End to an Endless Hope
Jesus’ Resurrection is not only God’s greatest miracle and the centre of our faith. It is our greatest source of strength and hope. He who overcame death and transformed his frightened disciples into bold and loving witnesses of hope, can help us too to move from fear to love, from despair to serenity.
Jesus is Risen! Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. It is also a celebration of our new life in Christ after forty days of Lenten prayer, fasting and penance. Easter gives us hope and the assurance of the defeat of evil and the victory of life. As we celebrate Easter, we are announcing the death of death and the birth of a new life in Christ.
The Best Easter Story
What does John’s Gospel say about Jesus’s resurrection? The story of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Jesus in John 20:11-18 seems to be the best biblical text to understand the mystery of the resurrection. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb early on the first day of the week and finds the tomb empty. Mary stoops to look into the empty tomb (v.11), and she sees two angels in white (v. 12). The position of the angels on either side of the place where the body of Jesus had once lain symbolically represents the ark of the covenant: the image of the mercy seat and the two golden cherubim on both ends of the mercy seat facing each other (Exodus 37:5-9). According to the biblical tradition, Yahweh spoke to Moses from between the two cherubim (Exodus 25:22).
A significant comparison can be made: Just as the Old Testament cherubim guarded the ark and the tablets symbolizing Torah or God’s words, the angels at the tomb are guarding the symbols of the action of God in rendering the living presence of Jesus, the incarnate and risen Word. The two angels on either side of the place where Jesus’ body had lain reveal the living presence of the covenant God in the empty tomb. At first, Mary neither recognizes the presence of God nor Jesus in the tomb, but Jesus’ calling Mary by her name enables her to identify Jesus, her master (20:16).
Calling by name in the ancient world has the power to evoke identity and deep relationship. This is reflected in the words of Jesus that empower Mary to recognize Jesus’ living presence by the presence of the two angels. Jesus wants Mary to go to his disciples and announce, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (20:17c). The relationship and intimate knowledge implied in the relationship between Jesus and his Father have now become true of the relationship between the covenant God and the disciples. The experience of encountering the risen Jesus was a real and empowering experience for Mary Magdalene, which enabled her to proclaim the Good News of the resurrection to the disciples: “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18).
According to John’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene is the first recipient of the Easter Christophany and the first disciple to proclaim the good news of the resurrection of Jesus. She is presented as an apostle to the apostles. Her love for Jesus is manifested in her endless seeking for Jesus. It is her inner freedom and openness that gives her the courage to dialogue with the gardener and to recognize Jesus. Her commitment to the Lord is revealed in her prompt response to the command of Jesus. The encounter with the risen Jesus empowers Mary to discover her true covenant relationship with God.
A Three-Dimensional Story
The resurrection narrative has three dimensions: past, present and future; it has a moment of encounter (present experience), a moment of recognition (past event) and a moment of commission (future mission).
As past event, the resurrection is the raising of a man who had been put to death by evil, the raising of the crucified Jesus. It reminds us of both the life of Jesus, someone who is deeply concerned about the life of the people, their sorrows, hopes and struggles, and of his death as the consequence of his life and commitment to God’s mission in favour of the poor and marginalized. The resurrection can thus be seen as a powerful protest against the evil that crucified Jesus—the final death of death. It is indeed the vindication of the life of love and freedom that Jesus lived. It celebrates the birth of a new life and inaugurates the beginning of a new history.
As present experience, the resurrection invites us to recognize the on-going interventions of God through the various events of our daily life. The disciples who met the risen Lord after his resurrection were commissioned to announce the good news of salvation to the whole world. They were so frightened and ran away when Jesus was arrested, but now, after meeting the Risen Lord, they were filled with new hope and new strength, and began to publicly proclaim the Gospel without fear.
As future hope, the resurrection gives us the ultimate assurance that victory belongs to God, belongs to life, love, goodness and freedom. In the risen Christ, God is in control of our lives and destinies as the beginning and end of all things. As Easter people, we are called to live a life of hope, filled with joy and optimism about ourselves, our world and our future. This does not mean that all our problems and difficulties will disappear; it means that we don’t allow our problems to control us or wear us down; because we believe that the risen Lord has conquered everything, including death, and will give us the courage and wisdom to soar above the challenges of our daily life. Everyday life may be difficult, but not impossible for us to live joyfully. It is indeed a challenge for us to give up pessimism and become optimistic and hopeful.
Hopeless End or Endless Hope?
The new life of Easter requires the deepening of our faith and the renewal of our commitment. As St Paul says, we have to die with Christ to sin so that we can rise with him to new life (cf. Rom 6:5-11). New life in Christ signifies defeating sin, evil and death on the one hand, and living in love and hope on the other. We celebrate Easter whenever we give up hatred and resentments and become more loving and forgiving. We share in the power of the resurrection whenever we love again after the bond of relationship is broken. Every time when we try again with hope after having failed in life, we celebrate the victory of love and new life. God never abandons us. As the saying goes, human ways may lead to a hopeless end, while God’s ways always lead to an endless hope.
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