"Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed." The two Marys were in for a surprise. They had come, as usual, to do the ritual anointing of their dead friend's body. But on their arrival, not only was there an earthquake, there was also an angel whose "appearance was like lightning" and whose "clothing was white as snow."The brave guards were so scared they "became like dead men," but the women managed to stay on their feet and hear the words of the angel. Guess what! Jesus isn't here. He's been raised from the dead. Now go share the good news!No wonder these women were feeling a mixture of emotions!They were frightened by these incredible supernatural events, but overjoyed that Jesus was alive again.

Just imagine their joy when "Jesus met them on their way," and they were able to embrace him and worship him. What a day! Now, we too join in the celebration of this day of all days. Every Easter, we recall these glorious events, but we do more than just remember. We also rejoice that our Lord is alive right now, that death and sin have been conquered forever, that the gates of heaven are open for us. The joy of Easter is not a nostalgic kind of happiness that only looks backwards. It is instead a call to rejoice in the gifts that we can enjoy today and in eternity.

We may not have seen the angel, felt the earthquake, or kissed the feet of the risen Lord, but we are nonetheless the beneficiaries of this momentous event. We are an Easter people, a people in the hands of a loving God whose power can overcome all the terrible threats and trials of existence with the amazing gift of eternal life.

©2017 Liturgical Publications, Inc.

Pero de repente Jesús les salió al encuentro y las saludó. Ellas se le acercaron, le abrazaron los pies y lo adoraron. Entonces les dijo Jesús: "No tengan miedo. Vayan a decir a mis hermanos que se dirijan a Galilea. Allá me verán" (Mt 28, 9-10). ¡Qué belleza de mensaje! Te imaginas que de repente el Señor se aparezca a ti y te diga la paz esté contigo. Y te ponga una cita como ahí te veré con tu familia y con tus amigos. ¿Qué sería lo primero que harías? El Evangelio nos dice que las mujeres se asustaron pero que el Señor las calma y envía de misioneras a anunciar su mensaje a sus hermanos. Has notado que las mujeres de este pasaje del Evangelio no tienen nombre. ¿Por qué será? Lo imaginas. Es sencillamente porque esas mujeres podemos ser tu y yo, hombre y mujer a los que se aparece el Señor. Este día de Resurrección, no debemos ser simples es- pectadores. Este día salimos de nuestra tumba del miedo. Resucitar debe ser una experiencia personal de cada cristiano. Vivir como personas resucitadas implica transformar la manera vieja de vivir por una nueva, perfumada y llena de Cristo resucitado. Por esa razón completamos nuestra Cuaresma, por lo mismo nos reconciliamos con nosotros mismos, con la familia, con la comunidad y muy especialmente con Dios. San Pablo lo explica así: "Lo mismo ustedes, considérense muertos al pecado y vivos para Dios en Cristo Jesús" (Rom 6, 11). ¡Felices Pascuas de Resurrección!

©2017 Liturgical Publications, Inc.

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