Posted by The WORD in Other Words by Fr Jose Caballes SVD (Philippines) for Saturday in the Octave of Easter
Why was it so difficult for the apostles to believe that the Lord had risen from the dead? First from the mouth of a witness Mary Magdalene and second from two other disciples to whom Jesus had also appeared.
Jesus identified the “hardness of heart” as the main cause of their unbelief. There’s a saying, “If you live in a graveyard too long you stop crying when someone dies.” (www.sermonillustrations.com) Perhaps familiarity with Jesus had inured the sensibilities of the disciples to the extent that they could not go beyond Jesus’ humanity towards his divinity. They hadn’t reached the level where Jesus wanted them to be, spiritually.
In our own lives we may have been too familiar with our Christian religion that perhaps the real encounter with Jesus has not really sunk in. Religion has remained on the level of laws and rituals.
Perhaps we need to imbibe Mary Magdalene’s love for Jesus. She did not mind what travails she might encounter along the way to the tomb. What really mattered was the deep intimacy she had with Jesus. Love for Jesus drove her to announce the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. Even if Jesus commanded the disciples to preach the good news to all nations if they had no determination, deep commitment and love to motivate them, they would remain forced.
It is the same with us. We need to develop intimacy with our Lord by indulging in quiet time with Him, meditating on His words as we routinely read these in the scriptures. As one Dr. Mitchell stated, we are not under the Law when we are with Christ, but we are under the new law – the law of LOVE. (WWW.sermonillustrations.com)”
– Fr. Jojo Caballes, SVD (Sacred Heart Parish Shrine, Kamuning, QC)
Source – The WORD in Other Words, Bible Diary 2020
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