With Opened Bible
Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Our Lord
“When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.” (John 20,6-7)
Jesus is risen. Alleluia. He has conquered death, and thanks to Him, we have the hope of eternal life. This truth can fill our hearts with confidence and reassurance, strengthening our faith in God's promise of everlasting life. All the spiritual disciplines of Lent have led us toward this great day—the first day of a new creation: the creation of those raised to life in Jesus Christ. "He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent." (Colossians 1:18)
To celebrate this event, the Gospel of Saint John invites us to relive one of the tangible proofs of this great spiritual transformation: the strips of cloth that covered Jesus' body.
Before proceeding further, we must recall that the Incarnation called for—and prepared the way for—Jesus' death and resurrection. During the Magi's visit, the Savior received three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11) The myrrh was the gift that foreshadowed His Passion and death, reminding us of God's divine plan and inspiring reverence for His sacrifice. In a sense, the myrrh proclaimed that Jesus was truly human—and that, like all men, He would experience death.
Alongside the myrrh, the angels who announced His birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem provided a specific sign by which to recognize Him: "And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12) Similarly, at His resurrection, the empty tomb and the burial cloths served as
the sign of His new birth: His resurrection. These signs invite us to marvel at God's plan of salvation and His power to bring new life from death.
Jesus will die no more, for He has become the key that unlocks the gates of Paradise—gates that the sin of the first Adam had closed. (Cf. Genesis 3:24) Through His Passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus has become the Lord of the living and the dead.
