Monday, April 18, 2022

Encountering the Risen Jesus

 Note:  Yesterday's slice appeared after midnight and thus, is available today, a day late, unless you are up reading e-mail at midnight...Still trying to post and show on the same day.  Maybe a midnight posting is the answer!

Image result for Matthew 28:8-15. Size: 200 x 110. Source: beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com

Matthew 28: 8-15 

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Our reading of the Resurrection narrative continues today ( I hope this will appear on Easter Monday) with the actual encounter with the risen Jesus.  What was that like?  We get some idea as we read of the women clasping his feet.  Would I have done the same?  Or more?  What would it be like to see someone you loved dead and buried and then gloriously alive again? Might we cry for joy?  Embrace? Rub our eyes to make sure we are seeing something real, not just a figment of our imagination?  Let's take some time with this would-be encounter

The second part is the reality of human weakness, the guards were astounded and scared...so were the chief priests.  They could not allow this truth to spread, so they used money and deceit to hide the truth.  Is this not part of the human condition, of MY condition?  Mea culpa!

Bro. Rene

 

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