The Report of the Guard

Of today’s 8 verses of Gospel reading, 5 are on the yarn spun by the Jewish authorities and the Tomb Guards, and 3 verses are on the women who very early in the morning on the third-day of Jesus’ Burial, went to the tomb to complete the burial ritual.  I will keep to these three verses because they speak so profoundly the Joy that they discover in the glad tidings that they are given by the Angel, who they find in the tomb, instead of Jesus’ body.

The Church invites through the season of Lent to reflectively get into a closer walk with the Master… as it were, it invites us into an Emmaus’ experience of our own… Come study the word, check yourselves, and make decisions as you roost, like a hen sitting on top of her clutch of eggs,  on the Mystery of Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection. It invites us into the experience of dying to our thoughts, ideas, what we identify with our selves and open to the what Jesus is inviting us into. And when we give up/when we die this way, we suddenly find newness entering our lives, just as the hen discovers her eggs hatching and finding herself encircled by her new chicks. Just as a mother after labour pain discovers joy when she is shown her baby, in a similar way, we too discover newness that was not with us before, now surrounding us. This is the joy of these women who went to the tomb, they are given the Good News- ‘He is not here; for he has risen‘. The Joy that must have engulfed them is there to be seen, ‘So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.’ and their Joy is blessed further when Jesus personally reveals Himself to them. Their Joy is Complete, their believing crowned with the presence of Jesus in their midst.

This is a highly condensed/shortened/stated in short account of a much longer narrative. But it tells us the truth of our Christian faith; believe and express what you believe, personally and in your relationship with others. Profess what it means- i.e. Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection – in your everyday living – let it be the very joy of how you relate with everyone. Come Holy Spirit be the Joy in our life, help us be convicted of the Truth, and discover the grace that Joy gives us to live our lives in this world. Thank You Holy Spirit.