He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’
***
He is risen! The message is joyful and triumphant. But the world is living as though no-one had heard that Christ is risen, and those who have heard the good news seem to be strangely silent.
***
The good news of the Resurrection plunges us into confusion and even terror. That which should bring life seems to paralyse us for some reason.
***
An angel tells of the strange news. The sight of the angel is shocking enough, but his message inspires even more confusion and trepidation. The women carrying the myrrh were terrified when they saw the angel. It is reported that they ‘ran trembling and overwhelmed’, without telling anyone about what they had seen.
***
Miracles throw human beings into confusion. We try to fit them into the framework of our understanding and then continue to live with the experience of the miracle, as if nothing unusual had occurred and then we carry on with our normal lives. We thereby miss the opportunity of a truly new life.
***
‘He is risen. He is not here’. This announcement disrupted the usual order of things. The resurrection of Jesus unsettled the normal series of events. But that is not all. Resurrection is not a unique exception; it is the beginning of a new life.
***
‘He is going ahead of you’, i.e. The Risen One is waiting for his disciples in Galilee, in order to reveal to them the truth and to open a new perspective on life. He is already ahead of us on our way and looking forward to our encounter with him. He has prepared everything and seen everything. Our lives can be transformed in light of this joyful news of resurrection. Death, fear and despair no longer have sway over us.
***
‘Go tell…’. The ears and hearts of all people await the good news. If we have seen the empty tomb and heard the good news from the angels, then we cannot remain silent. I will hear voices around, saying: ‘We are going to Galilee, He is there. Are you coming with us?’. And I begin to respond to this message. I tell myself at first, and then I say it out loud, for fear of losing or forgetting it. I say quietly, but resolutely and loud enough so that others can hear the good news: ‘I, too, was in mourning, I, too, abandoned Him, but now I am going to meet him. See you in Galilee. He is waiting for you and me. He is risen!’
***
I heartily congratulate you on the greatest celebration of life and hope!
Christ is risen! We will live!
Mykhailo Cherenkov, Donetsk Christian University
On the eve of Easter 2013