LIGHT THAT CANDLE!
Saturday in the Octave of Easter
Mk 16:9-15
Today is the last day within the octave of Easter. It is, however, not yet the end of the Easter Season. The Gospel today appears to be an attempt to summarize the major events that immediately followed the resurrection of Jesus.
The Gospel today has three paragraphs. The first is a recall of the meeting between Jesus and the group of women led by Mary Magdalene at the Lord’s tomb on Easter morning. The second is Jesus’ meeting with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and the breaking of bread through which the two disciples recognized Jesus. The third is the meeting between Jesus and the Eleven in which Jesus commissioned the Eleven to “go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.” These appearances of Jesus, however, do not mean that encounters with Jesus already ended. The Gospel today is not a conclusion.
Jesus continues meeting us today, tomorrow, and always. He meets us when, like Mary Magdalene and the other women, we linger in the “tomb”. He journeys with us when, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, we travel with the heavy burden of regrets and confusion in our hearts. He appears in our midst when, like the Eleven locked up inside the Upper Room, we hide in our own “Upper Rooms” because we are afraid or we feel guilty. Because Jesus is risen, He meets us anywhere, anytime and even at the same time at different places and circumstances in life.
There are no more unvisited places in human life. Even death has been visited by God and He conquered it once and for all. When Jesus became human like us, it was as if God placed a candle in every corner of human life. The resurrection of Jesus lights up every candle God placed in our life. As the gift of the resurrection of Jesus is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is the Flame that lights every candle of God in every corner of our life. Thus, because of the Resurrection, there are no more tunnels in our life that are too dark for us to go through. All it takes is to light the candle that God already placed there and, lo and behold, we see Jesus, we meet Jesus, we embrace Jesus. Then our hearts themselves start burning.
Share this reflection with someone; be a missionary of the Good News. Help someone, who is going through a dark tunnel, to light his or her candle; keep hearts burning for Jesus. Continue the Resurrection story in your life; meet Jesus who rose to life again for you.
Redemption is about the Resurrection. The Resurrection is about the Holy Spirit, the Fire that lights every candle God already placed in our lives.
Mk 16:9-15
Today is the last day within the octave of Easter. It is, however, not yet the end of the Easter Season. The Gospel today appears to be an attempt to summarize the major events that immediately followed the resurrection of Jesus.
The Gospel today has three paragraphs. The first is a recall of the meeting between Jesus and the group of women led by Mary Magdalene at the Lord’s tomb on Easter morning. The second is Jesus’ meeting with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and the breaking of bread through which the two disciples recognized Jesus. The third is the meeting between Jesus and the Eleven in which Jesus commissioned the Eleven to “go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.” These appearances of Jesus, however, do not mean that encounters with Jesus already ended. The Gospel today is not a conclusion.
Jesus continues meeting us today, tomorrow, and always. He meets us when, like Mary Magdalene and the other women, we linger in the “tomb”. He journeys with us when, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, we travel with the heavy burden of regrets and confusion in our hearts. He appears in our midst when, like the Eleven locked up inside the Upper Room, we hide in our own “Upper Rooms” because we are afraid or we feel guilty. Because Jesus is risen, He meets us anywhere, anytime and even at the same time at different places and circumstances in life.
There are no more unvisited places in human life. Even death has been visited by God and He conquered it once and for all. When Jesus became human like us, it was as if God placed a candle in every corner of human life. The resurrection of Jesus lights up every candle God placed in our life. As the gift of the resurrection of Jesus is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is the Flame that lights every candle of God in every corner of our life. Thus, because of the Resurrection, there are no more tunnels in our life that are too dark for us to go through. All it takes is to light the candle that God already placed there and, lo and behold, we see Jesus, we meet Jesus, we embrace Jesus. Then our hearts themselves start burning.
Share this reflection with someone; be a missionary of the Good News. Help someone, who is going through a dark tunnel, to light his or her candle; keep hearts burning for Jesus. Continue the Resurrection story in your life; meet Jesus who rose to life again for you.
Redemption is about the Resurrection. The Resurrection is about the Holy Spirit, the Fire that lights every candle God already placed in our lives.
posted by Fr. Bobby @ 3:00 PM
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