Happy Easter!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ “ Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

- Luke 24:1-12

____________________________________

They did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

____________________________________

So much of Christianity sounds like nonsense, really… until seen through the eyes of faith. Even though Jesus had told his followers in advance that he would rise again, they couldn’t fathom anything as crazy as this! Even though Peter had identified Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:15), the notion that he would rise from the grave was impossible to grasp. Later, Thomas would actually look at the risen Lord face-to-face and doubt even the evidence there before his eyes!

Easter is doubt turned to faith, sorrow transformed into hope, the embodiment of optimism. Pope John Paul II put it this way:

Do not abandon yourselves to despair. 

We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.

____________________________________

HALLELUJAH!

____________________________________

May God bless you this Easter day and throughout the Easter season!

____________________________________

Today is the last day for you to enter the Gospel Giveaway! 
And there's still time enter this week’s caption contest, found here.