"He is Risen"

AND on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared.And they found the stone rolled back from the sepulchre. And going in, they found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were astonished in their mind at this, behold, two men stood by them, in shining apparel. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their countenance towards the ground, they said unto them: Why seek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spoke unto you, when he was in Galilee, Saying: The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words. And going back from the sepulchre, they told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. And it was Mary Magdalen, and Joanna, and Mary of James, and the other women that were with them, who told these things to the apostles. And these words seemed to them as idle tales; and they did not believe them. But Peter rising up, ran to the sepulchre, and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths laid by themselves; and went away wondering in himself at that which was come to pass --Luke 24:1-12

During the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening I found myself thinking about the sense of awe and wonder experienced by those women and men at the empty tomb that morning. Fear and sadness was replaced with joy as they witnessed first hand the reality of the Resurrection. Two thousand years later, the truth of the Resurrection of Our Lord stills bring us joy and the promise of eternal life. The Resurrection of Our Lord gives hope of better days ahead. The hope of salvation that Easter brings is sorely needed in these troubled times. While it may seem as if the world around us is failing into chaos, as we reflect on the events of Easter we are reminded that the biggest battle has already been fought and won on our behalf.

Hope you have a joy-filled and blessed Easter!