Acts 10: 34; 37-43

Col. 3: 1-4 or 5: 6-8 Cycle ABC

Jn. 20: 1-9
16 April 2017
INTRODUCTION:
People love to visit the graves
and tombs of famous people like
Magellan in San Agustin Church
and the recent Archbishops of
Manila, Rufino J. Card. Santos
and Jaime L. Card. Sin, in the
Crypt of the Manila Cathedral in
Intramuros.
INTRODUCTION:

There is a sense of peace and finality

around graves. That is why we quietly
pray and ponder at graves of famous
persons. The least thing you expect in
a grave is action and novelty as in
the grave of Jesus!
Let us focus on this grave!
1 Three women came to the
tomb of Jesus that early
Sunday dawn. They had
oil with them to anoint
Jesus and were planning
to sit quietly beside the
grave to revisit their
memories of him. This
grave was no ordinary
grave!
1
First, they noticed the
cover stone has been
rolled away. Though
initially it looked like a grave
robbery to desecrate the
dead, it dawned on them
that this is not a case of
someone breaking in but
more of breaking out.
1
Instead, they saw a man in white
robe who tells them that the Jesus
they seek is not there but has been
raised to life and went ahead of them to
Galilee.
1
Their shock is reported in Mk. 16: 8:
"Then they went out and fled from the
tomb, seized with trembling and
bewilderment. They said nothing to
anyone, for they were afraid."
1

The point the Gospel wants to make is that this

grave is not the source of peace and rest and
calm, thoughtful meditation but source of
terror and upheaval.
1

This grave is one of novelty so

shocking that it frightens people
out of their wits. To get that is to
understand Christianity.
2
From this grave of Jesus, we learn to
our shock that everything we
thought before about life, the world,
and death is in fact not the case. The
supposed laws of nature are in fact
not laws after all.
2
The Empty Tomb reminds
us that God is the enemy of
death and he has shown us
his power over death in an
unambiguous way.
2
Then we ought not to fear death
or be downhearted by the power
of death. Some people think that to
understand better the Resurrection, it
is to be allegorized into the cause of
Jesus. If that is so, his grave would be
an ordinary grave.
2
Note that historically no cult on Jesus'
Tomb ever developed in Christianity.
They did not go there just to sit and
mure on what life meant. Rather, they
were surprised and tormented upside
down.
3
Just a word about the
two men in white
garment (sindone in
Greek) at the grave of
Jesus.
To whom do
they refer?
3
To us Christians in our Baptismal Robe,
announcing to the whole world from
the Empty Tomb the good news of
the Resurrection whereas the young
man in white garment who was caught
and fled leaving behind his garment also
refers to us Christians in baptismal garb
who leave behind his baptismal robe at
the moment of truth and upheaval.
3
The former refers to
the call of every
Baptized to
Evangelization while
the latter refers to
the Christian who
had left his faith at
the moment of test!
CONCLUSION:

Fellow Christians,
spend a little time at the
Empty Tomb of the Lord this
Easter Week and listen to
what that Tomb evokes in you!
+ART