This Easter Sunday, the Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. The readings invite us to believe that Jesus Christ is risen and we are challenged to be raised with Him.

In the gospel, Mary of Magdala cried out to the disciples, “they have taken away my Lord from the tomb, I don’t know where they put him.” She went to the tomb early just to find out that the Lord’s body was missing. Imagine how painful she must have felt as she witnessed Jesus suffered on his cross and died on it. Now it was doubled as she was expecting to give him a proper and complete burial, but, he was gone. Imagine how she felt abandoned for the second time when she did not find the Lord.

As soon as she exclaimed to them, the two disciples Peter and John ran to the empty tomb with her to see if He really was not there. This season calls us to reflect on this question: how do we react to the empty tomb? Mary thinks that someone might have stolen His body. When Peter entered the tomb, he said nothing as he saw the rolled linen of cloths used to cover the body of Christ. The other disciple, John, entered also, he “sees and believes.”

It is sad to know how Peter remained a man of “little” faith like Jesus told him before but in contrast, it is good to know that there is a disciple like John who has not only have a “big” faith but also, a solid and strong faith in Him. To whom de we relate among the three disciples, to Mary, to Peter, or to John?

The empty tomb symbolizes our faith in the risen Christ who has overcome death. It calls us to deepen our faith in Him, to empty ourselves of the fears, anxieties, worries and other feelings from the world. Just as St. Paul told to the Colossians, “think of what is above, not of what is on earth”. It encourage us to go out of our sinfulness, our old habits and be a better version of ourselves for the kingdom of God. We are redeemed by His new and eternal life. He believes in us, He believes in our resurrection too. Do we believe in Him? Let us also be challenged to be raised to life anew with Jesus.