by Fr. Tommy Lane
On Sunday, the first day of
the Jewish week, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb (John 20:1-9).
When she saw the tomb empty, it never occurred to her that Jesus had
risen. Instead, she thought that since “they” had ganged up against
him to get him killed, “they” would not even let him rest in death
and had done something with his body. She reported it to Peter and
John who both ran to the tomb, John running quicker and reaching the
tomb first as he was younger. John waited outside until Peter
arrived to allow Peter to go into the tomb first. This was John
showing deference to Peter since Peter had been chosen by Jesus to
lead the Church. Peter and John saw the burial cloths and John
mentions two of them. Most regard them to be what we now call the
Shroud of Turin and the
Sudarium in Oviedo in Spain. John went into
the tomb, and we heard in our Gospel today that he saw and believed
(John 20:8). When Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain
and they saw him transfigured, he told them they were not to tell
anyone until he had risen from the dead, but they didn’t know what
rising from the dead meant (Mark 9:9-10). On three occasions Jesus
had told them he would be handed over, be killed, and rise after
three days (8:31; 9:31; Mark 10:34). Again they did not understand
what Jesus meant (Mark 9:32). Now suddenly as John saw Jesus’ tomb
empty, a light went on in his head and he remembered that Jesus had
said he would rise from the dead and now he believed (John 20:8).
On that first Easter
Sunday, Jesus appeared to many. We take it for granted that he
appeared firstly to his mother
Mary but that it was so beautiful an
encounter that words could not do it justice and that it was so
well-known at the time the Gospels were written that no evangelist
put it into writing. The Gospels report Jesus on Easter Sunday
appearing to Mary Magdalene, to the apostles, and to two disciples
on the road to Emmaus. On the following Sunday, Jesus again appeared
to the apostles. As Jesus appeared on Sundays, the early Christians
met to celebrate the Eucharist on Sundays and so the Christian holy
day became Sunday the first day of the week while the Jewish sabbath
remained Saturday.
The early Christians met on
Sundays to celebrate the Eucharist because they knew that was how
Jesus was present to them and we know it is how Jesus continues to
be present to us. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus learned
that when Jesus explained the Scriptures to them, and then broke
bread with them—the Eucharist—before becoming invisible to them.
Jesus did not go away after breaking bread with them but, in Luke’s
Greek, became invisible to them. They knew Jesus was still with them
even though they could not see him, and we know Jesus is with us
under the appearance of bread and wine. After the consecration, the
bread is no longer bread but Jesus, and only has the appearance of
bread. After the consecration, the wine is no longer wine but Jesus,
and only has the appearance of wine.
Jesus is not in the tomb.
He is risen and here with us as the Scriptures are proclaimed
and here with us after the consecration under the
appearance of bread and wine. To reassure us, from time to time,
Eucharistic miracles occur in which the bread not only becomes the
body of Jesus at the consecration but also changes appearance to
become human heart muscular tissue, and the wine not only becomes
the blood of Jesus at the consecration but changes appearance to
become blood, always the blood group AB. Hospital lab tests always
show these Eucharistic miracles are heart muscular tissue,
myocardium, so I say it is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and always
show that the blood is blood group AB. These Eucharistic miracles
reassure us that Jesus is really with us in the Eucharist just as
Jesus appeared on Sundays to the apostles to reassure them of his
presence with them after his resurrection and appeared on Easter
Sunday evening to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus is not
in the tomb. He is risen and here with us after the consecration
under the appearance of bread and wine.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2024
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for Easter Sunday
Jesus with us though invisible 2021
Jesus’ Resurrection shows He is the Answer to our Questions 2016
Jesus Continues in the Church 2015
Christ is Risen! 2011
Jesus Risen is the Light of the World 2008
Jesus’ Resurrection reminds us of the glorious future awaiting us
Related Homilies: Jesus Did Rise on Easter Sunday! 2021
belief in the resurrection (excerpt of funeral homily)
cloth over Jesus’ head, The Sudarium
stories about the next life and death