Daily Meditation - Holy Saturday Vigil 22nd. March 2008 - THE GIFT GOD LONGS TO GIVE: JOY ... OPEN MY HEART LORD

[BarbaraTherese]

Gospel
Mt 28:1-10

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
His appearance was like lightning
and his clothing was white as snow.
The guards were shaken with fear of him
and became like dead men.
Then the angel said to the women in reply,
“Do not be afraid!
I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.
He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples,
‘He has been raised from the dead,
and he is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him.’
Behold, I have told you.”
Then they went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce this to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

Easter Vigil

What a contrast it must have been! The disciples’ faces showed the grief and shock they felt over Jesus’ death. They had spent two sleepless nights wondering what to make of his execution. He had foretold that it would happen, but what did it all mean?

Then the next morning, they heard a knock at the door. It was Mary Magdalene and her friend. But their faces were not gloomy; on the contrary, they were radiant. Before the two women said a word, the disciples knew that they had seen Jesus alive!

As it was on that first Easter morning, joy is a sign that we have been with the Lord.*** It comes not only from following God’s laws but from knowing him through his Son Jesus. It comes from experiencing his mercy and grace and sharing in his divine life***. ***To be joyful doesn’t mean we have to go around smiling all the time—but it does mean that God is smiling through us! ***

Even if we don’t have special gifts of preaching, teaching, or evangelizing,

joy is the one gift God wants to give all of us

.

We may not have much money or other possessions to give to the poor, for example, but we can still give our joy. And so many people around us need it, because they keep looking for satisfaction from this life alone.

An encouraging word from us can change someone’s day, and perhaps put their whole life on a new course. Without trying very hard, we can bring them closer to the everlasting happiness that comes only from God. All we need to do is remember joy.

Of course, to do that we need to be inspired ourselves. Like the apostles, we may have been going through some “dark nights” of our own recently

. But no matter what we may feel like, God can renew us today.

So put away any sadness you may have right now, and rejoice with all the angels and saints that Jesus has conquered death! Open your heart to the joy of his resurrection—and go out to surprise the world with his love!

“Jesus, I rejoice that you came forth from the tomb

**to bring me new life! **
**Fill me with your joy, **
so that I may lead others to your kingdom!”

 

[Mini_gerbel]

yay. i needed this. I have been in a dark night. I didnt read all the way through though. but just the jotful parts.
thx

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Very happy to read, MG, that the reflection was timely and helpful…Deo Gratius!