Painting: The Three Marys at the Tomb by Duccio di Buoninsegna, ca 1308-1311
News, even great news, eventually fades away. The Greatest Story Ever Told, the story with the most awesome climax ever written, the story with the most significant implication for humankind ever conveyed, the best news ever announced to the world, is not fading away.
Many entertain doubts about the actual Resurrection of Jesus. The Scriptures themselves tell us that, early on in the life of the Church, many people articulated some doubt about the Resurrection. Nonetheless, and in spite of controversial theories, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ remains central to our faith.
The two women in the Gospel of Matthew—Mary Magdalene and the other Mary—ran to proclaim the Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus to the other disciples. They did not try to explain what had happened. They simply told the story. Ever since, the life of Jesus has remained the source of faith, of peace of mind and heart, and of power to share grace and love with others. Our ability to share such grace and love eloquently testifies that Jesus had been raised from the dead.
The proclamation of the death and resurrection of Jesus has engendered faith in many throughout the ages. For example, we are privy to read and hear Peter, who at the dawn of Christianity, preached with great power and mentioned this in his sermon in Acts (10:39-41): “We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” What’s more, in the Gospel of John (20:18), the author highlights how “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord.’”
Today, the same proclamation continues to warm the hearts of those who are seeking to believe. And we believers have an awesome privilege to be witnesses like Mary and Peter in testifying that Jesus died and rose again. Like Mary, we too can say from our own faith experience: “I have seen the Lord.”
Easter blessings to you and yours now and always,
The Rt. Rev. Ketlen A. Solak, D.Min.
IX Bishop of Pittsburgh