This homily is based on John 20:1-9.
There’s a lot of running that goes on at Easter. Every single account of that first Easter morning reports it. In today’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene discovers the stone rolled away from the tomb, and immediately she runs to Simon Peter, who, upon hearing her report, along with the beloved disciple, makes a run for the Lord’s burial place.
This homily was delivered on 3 May 2014 based on Luke 24:13-35.
Have you ever experienced a time in your life when everything seems to have gone wrong? You wake up one day, and for some reason, your whole life lies in ruins. Your dreams have been shattered, and your heart is broken. Life in general has let you down, and the only option you feel that remains open for you is to give up or walk away as quickly as possible.
This reflection on the Sunday of Divine Mercy is on John 20:19-31.
When I was 10, I cut myself doing an Art Project. I must have used the wrong tool or just made the wrong move, but before I knew it, my finger was bleeding. Profusely. Nobody else was in the room, and so I did what only a frightened 10-year old would do: I pretended it didn’t happen. To dull the pain, I shook my finger as vigorously as I could. But the pain didn’t go away, the bleeding didn’t stop, and I realized, to my horror, that I had splattered blood all over the furniture.
This homily was delivered on Easter Sunday, 20 April 2014, based on John 20:1-9.
This event is one of the earliest ones concerning the Resurrection; it happens early Easter morning. As we read from the Gospel, Mary Magdalene shows up at Jesus’ tomb while it is still dark, but is surprised and distressed to see the stone removed from Jesus’ tomb. So she rushes away to report this to Simon Peter and another disciple (whom many identify as the Evangelist) and tells them her very logical conclusion that the body of Jesus has been stolen.
Curious and disturbed about the news, the disciples decide to check it out for themselves. They’re understandably worried and clearly eager to find out because we’re told that they run to the tomb. In fact, the other disciple runs faster than Peter–either because he’s more fit or more desperate, we’re not sure–and arrives at the tomb first. We don’t know why, but probably out of courtesy, he does not go into the tomb until Peter gets there and in fact, he lets Peter go in first.