The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today that present overcoming fear as disciples of Christ, resonate with our marking of the death of Pope Francis and celebration of the love and care that characterized his Pontificate.
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter addresses the Crowd at Pentecost.
* [2:1–41] Luke’s pentecostal narrative consists of an introduction (Acts 2:1–13), a speech ascribed to Peter declaring the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic significance (Acts 2:14–36), and a favorable response from the audience (Acts 2:37–41). It is likely that the narrative telescopes events that took place over a period of time and on a less dramatic scale. The Twelve were not originally in a position to proclaim publicly the messianic office of Jesus without incurring immediate reprisal from those religious authorities in Jerusalem who had brought about Jesus’ death precisely to stem the rising tide in his favor. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 16 is a Song of Trust and Security in God.
* [Psalm 16] In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Ps 16:2–5), preferring Israel’s God (Ps 16:1), the giver of the land (Ps 16:6and th). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Ps 16:7–11). (Psalms, PSALM 16 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents the encounter with Mary Magdalene and the report of the Guard.
* [28:8] Contrast Mk 16:8 where the women in their fear “said nothing to anyone.”
* [28:9–10] Although these verses are peculiar to Matthew, there are similarities between them and John’s account of the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:17). In both there is a touching of Jesus’ body, and a command of Jesus to bear a message to his disciples, designated as his brothers. Matthew may have drawn upon a tradition that appears in a different form in John. Jesus’ words to the women are mainly a repetition of those of the angel (Mt 28:5a, 7b).
* [28:11–15] This account indicates that the dispute between Christians and Jews about the empty tomb was not whether the tomb was empty but why. (Matthew, CHAPTER 28 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments The Church these past two days have been doing lots of prayerful singing. The two Mary’s go off humming, “How can I keep from singing”. The guards spend their money and lives humming “Within the sound of silence”.
So here’s our Eastering. The invitation is clear, keep singing, keep wondering, keep living without clear explanations and ego-centered demands to know. We too have the option to keep Jesus in the tomb of our fears, “not being enough, what will people say, will I be successful.”
The guards lived in the silence of fear and yet wonder about what really happened back there. Easter Monday is a very good day to be untombed and freed from various forms of silence and perhaps shame. Jesus rises every time we speak with words and gestures of the love and freedom outside our tombs. (Gillick, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “The Easter Alleluia,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Our thoughts in this present life should turn on the praise of God, because it is in praising God that we shall rejoice for ever in the life to come; and no one can be ready for the next life unless he trains himself for it now. So we praise God during our earthly life, and at the same time we make our petitions to him. Our praise is expressed with joy, our petitions with yearning. We have been promised something we do not yet possess, and because the promise was made by one who keeps his word, we trust him and are glad; but insofar as possession is delayed, we can only long and yearn for it. It is good for us to persevere in longing until we receive what was promised, and yearning is over; then praise alone will remain." (excerpt from commentary on Psalm 148, 1-2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 28:8-15 invites us to notice what happened next: as the women made their way to the disciples, Jesus met them “and greeted them” (Matthew 28:9). How merciful and loving of the Lord! He didn’t just send his message through an angel but appeared to them himself, assuring them that he truly had risen and comforting them with his presence. Then he spoke directly to their fears, urging them to “not be afraid” (28:10). Jesus didn’t want the shadow of fear clouding their experience. He wanted them to rejoice!
Is fear, uncertainty, or worry clouding your experience of the resurrection today? Yield it to the Lord. Ask him for the grace to experience more fully the deep-down joy of Easter that he so deeply desires for you.
“Risen Christ, I surrender all my fears to you today. Lord, I want to rejoice in the truth of your resurrection!” (Meditation on Matthew 28:8-15, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the kerygma teaching of Peter to the crowd on Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles. The four Gospels cite differing numbers of women who went to the Tomb and Matthew has two, the number required in the Law to give witness, even when Jewish rules would not accept the testimony of women. Friar Jude notes the apologia in Matthew that refutes the response of the Jewish authorities to the events surrounding the empty tomb.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, teaches that Jesus’ resurrection is a universal pattern we can trust. Reality rolls through cycles of death and resurrection, death and resurrection, death and resurrection. In the raising up of Jesus, we’re assured that this is the pattern for everything—that we, and anybody who is suffering—is also going to be raised up.
Of course, it’s an act of faith on our side. In our experience, our most cherished people, pets, and even places, fade away—but Jesus is the archetype of the shape of the universe. To believe in Jesus is to believe that all of this is going somewhere and that God is going to make it so. All we have to do is stay on the train, stay on the wave, trusting that by our crucifixions, we would be allowed to fail, fumble and die, and be transformed by grace and by God.
Easter is the great feast of the triumph of universal grace, the triumph of universal salvation, not just the salvation of the body of Jesus. What we’re talking about creates a people of hope, and a culture of hope that doesn’t slip into cynicism and despair. Easter is saying, we don’t need to go there. Love is going to win. Life is going to win. Grace is going to win. Hallelujah! (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate the action on our journey that will proclaim our relationship with Jesus and encourage our faithfulness as we celebrate Pope Francis' Pontificate of love, inclusion, compassion, and mercy.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/2?14
Gillick, L. (2025, April 21). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042125.html
Matthew, CHAPTER 28 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/28?8
Meditation on Matthew 28:8-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/21/1259521/
Psalms, PSALM 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/16?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). An Example for Us All. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/an-example-for-us-all/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr21
