They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them,
“Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
The Latin Mass ends when the priest turns to the congregation and says, "Ite, missa est." The word mass, meaning our ceremony, comes from that expression. Despite whatever they heard in the word missa, the priest intended to say, "Go, you are sent."
The concluding incidents in the gospels have also been misread as appearances or apparitions, perhaps even as theophanies or epiphanies. A closer, more attentive reading shows they are commissions. In today's Gospel reading, the Lord sent -- commissioned -- the women to "Go tell my brothers." And they in turn should "go to Galilee."
People love a spectacle; they're very entertaining. What could be more spectacular and entertaining than Jesus's resurrection? I attended a concert of Jesus Christ Superstar when his appearance after his death ordeal was greeted with blinding lights. I'd seen nothing so brilliant since I stood on a railway late one night and watched an oncoming train. The orchestral sound was equally stunning. On stage stood an actor with arms outstretched and a triumphant, happy smile. He was visible by the light on him, but the headlights behind him made him almost too difficult to look at.
The crowd went wild. I went home. Fortunately it was Saturday evening and I found healing the next morning in a Catholic church and the quieter celebration of a Sunday Mass.
In today's gospel the stunned soldiers, who had seen enough to know something unusual had happened, recovered their composure and reported to the chief priests. They might have been astonished by the angel, the empty tomb, and the apparent escape of a dead man, but not enough to overrule their orders from their authorities. They didn't go to the "brothers," nor were they told to.
Lent, Holy Week, and the Triduum have prepared us to hear Jesus's command:
"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
We will do that not with stunning entertainment but with honest sharing of what we have seen and heard, our personal stories of grace.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.