He is Risen!

04-05-2026Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

The Gospel begins in darkness, in uncertainty, in the quiet ache of the human heart. Mary discovers that the stone has been rolled away. Immediately, she runs - not yet with faith, but with alarm. "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb," she says. Her first conclusion is not resurrection, but removal. Even those closest to Jesus were not expecting Easter. This detail is important. It reminds us that resurrection- faith is not wishful thinking, it is something surprising, something that breaks into human expectations.

Peter and the beloved disciples run to the tomb. There is urgency here, a race fueled by love, confusion, and perhaps a fragile hope they barely dare to name. The beloved disciples arrive first but wait. Peter, impetuous as ever, enters immediately. inside, they see the burial clothes. The linen wrappings lie there and the cloth that had covered Jesus' head is rolled up separately. These are not the signs of theft or disturbance. Something orderly, deliberate and mysterious has occurred.

The Gospel tells us that they "did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead." This belief is not yet fully comprehended. it is the beginning of faith - a spark, a recognition that something beyond death has happened, even if its meaning is not yet fully grasped. This passage teaches us something deeply human: faith does not always begin with clarity. it often begins with questions, with partial understanding, even with doubt. Mary thinks the body had been taken. The disciples do not yet understand Scripture. And yet, in the midst of the incomplete picture, belief begins to take root. Resurrection is not immediately obvious; it must be encountered, pondered, and slowly received.

The empty tomb is not, by itself, a full explanation. It is a sign. it invites interpretation. it calls for a response. For Mary, it prompts a search. For Peter, it provokes wonder. For the beloved disciples, it awakens belief. The same sign elicits different reactions. And that is still true today. The resurrection is not forced upon us. God does not overwhelm us with undeniable proof that removes all freedom. Instead, He invites us - through signs, through Scripture, through encounters - to step into faith. The empty tomb is like a doorway. it does not drag us through; it stands open, waiting.

It is not an accident that the beloved disciple reaches the tomb first. Tradition has often reflected on this detail symbolically; love arrives before authority, before structure, before even full understanding. Love is quick. Love is attentive. Love is eager. This suggests something profound; the deeper our love for Christ, the more readily we begin to perceive His presence - even when we do not fully understand what He is doing. The beloved disciples "saw and believed" not because he had all the answers, but because his heart was already attuned to Jesus. Faith is not merely an intellectual conclusion; it is a response of the heart.

There is no dramatic scene here - an angel speaking, no appearance of the risen Christ in this passage. Just an empty tomb and folded clothes. The resurrection begins quietly. God often works in ways that are subtle and easily overlooked. we might expect thunder, spectacle, or overwhelming signs. Instead, God often leaves us traces - gentle indications that invite us to look deeper. a hardened heart beginning to soften, a small hope rising after despair. a sense of peace where anxiety once ruled.