He raises Hope for Love

The Resurrection is Hope. Today the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer the message of the fundamental change which Jesus invites in our lives. Friar Jude Winkler characterizes the passage from the Acts of the Apostles as Kerugma, the first or fundamental preaching of the Gospel. Luke relates the events of Jesus life, death and resurrection through which the promise of life in communion with God and forgiveness of sin is the fulfillment of the Promise which has been the hope of the believers since Abraham. Paul addresses the Colossians to proclaim that they share in the Resurrection as believers who are aware that death with Jesus is also Resurrection with Him. The Life with Christ invites us to set our minds and actions in the things of heaven rather than the distractions of the temporal world. The Gospel from John tells of the encounter of Mary of Magdalene with the empty tomb at sunrise on of the day of Resurrection. Her report to the Apostles sets up the running of Peter and the beloved disciple to the site. They witness an empty tomb with the burial clothes folded in a place within the tomb. John notes that they returned home in hope but not in understanding of this event as revealed in Scripture. The encounter, a bit later, of Mary of Magdalene with Jesus, who she initially mistakes as a gardener, is an experience of the Presence of Jesus which is brought into focus by love. Friar Jude comments that the reason the beloved disciple reached the tomb before Peter is that his love motivation was very deep and Peter was obedient and anxious to restore his loyalty. Love conquers even death.