Mary Magdalene ran with her companions to Jesus' tomb to complete the anointing of the body of their dear and beloved friend Jesus but hesitated, knowing there was a huge stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?"
So often we hesitate not knowing who or how the huge stones that block our hearts will be rolled away. We must learn to want our stones rolled back so our heart can be exposed! Yes, rolling stones is our mission! No, I'm not talking about the rock-and-roll band. I'm not referring to boulders falling down the mountainside. I am not even talking about skipping stones.
When we experience Pascha, we embrace the extraordinary miracle of our loving Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection. He wants to roll away the stones from the cave or the tomb of our hearts. This Paschal season Christ wants to transform our lives and enlighten our hearts so that we can love more deeply and share in the joy of His resurrection!
"Who will roll away the stone?" Mary and her companions didn't know the answer, but that didn't stop them! Their destination was the tomb. They came in faith. They knew in their hearts that God could be trusted. And when we come in faith, we can hear the angel declaring truth, proclaiming the announcement of all announcements: "Do not be afraid. He has risen!"
Don't Be Afraid!
Don't be afraid!
He has risen! Jesus cannot be stuck in any tomb or be held hostage by any stone. The gates of Hell have been destroyed and life in His Kingdom has been opened for us. There is nothing that can keep His love, grace, compassion and power from His faithful.
For I am convinced," says St. Paul, "that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 8:38-39
Don't be afraid!
Not even hell or Satan, or sickness or despair, or cancer, or even death can keep us from His light and life. He loves us so much that He traveled into the depths of hell to conquer death, to resurrect and restore His people!
Don't be afraid!
He has trampled death upon death, bestowing life on those in the tombs. Have faith that He wants to turn every stone that has hardened our heart. He wants to breathe life into the stagnant areas of our path. He wants to illuminate the eyes of our heart so we can truly comprehend the message of His gospel!
Don't be afraid!
Jesus has come to invite us to have the courage to roll the stone away from our cold and hardened hearts, to roll the stone away from anything that keeps us from being vessels of love. This Pascha, there is no stone large enough or tomb powerful enough to keep Christ and His love buried!
The Temple Within
Just as Jesus cannot be held in any cave, Christ cannot be imprisoned in a brick building with a dome and a cross on top of it!
"Do you not know," asks St. Paul, "that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?" Our body is a Temple—a Church—in which God first came to abide when we were baptized and comes now to abide when we receive His precious body and blood in Holy Communion. This is no mere metaphor: you and I are the Church, living and breathing, moving and acting, wherever we go! God doesn't dwell only in buildings with domes and crosses, He dwells in us!
The stone of doubt, anxiety, fear, shame and resentment needs to be rolled away so the power and gift of God's grace and love can become triumphant. When the stone is rolled away and our hearts are open to receive Christ, our senses will be liberated from any passions that can destroy us. We will allow the eye to be averted from every evil sight and the ear becomes deaf and filters idle and useless talk.
So roll away the stone and let Him shine in you and be experienced in our homes, our businesses, our recreation, our families! Let Jesus live in every breath and step we take!
The Proof of Resurrection
Roll the stone away from the tomb and let Christ's light engulf our minds so we can allow Jesus to enlighten any indifference, transform any sin, transfigure any fear, doubt, or worldly care. Come and see the power He brings! The Joy! The forgiveness! The peace! The love!
As Archbishop Spyridon said in his encyclical in 1999, when the stone is rolled away we find that "it is in the empty tomb, where our fears are dissipated, our doubts are vanquished, our faith is strengthened, and our joy is fulfilled. Forgiven by Jesus, we find the power to forgive. Loved by Christ, we find power to love."
When the stone has been rolled away from our hearts, we find the proof of Christ's Resurrection, in the life He lives in us! "The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
"Christ is risen from the dead, by death destroying death; and to those in the tombs bestowing life!"
Truly the Lord is Risen!
+Fr. Tom
