March 24, 2008: Monday in the Octave of Easter

Acts 2:14, 22-33
Ps 16:1-2a, 5, 7-11
Matt 28:8-15

Are you ruled by fear or by the Holy Spirit?

In today's Gospel passage, the women who discovered the empty tomb were "fearful yet overjoyed." Why? They weren't afraid that his body had been stolen, because the angel had made it clear that Jesus rose from the dead (read the seven preceding verses). And they weren't afraid to hope in this, because they had seen it happen to Lazarus.

So, what DID they fear?

What do you and I fear when something very significant happens? Maybe we're afraid to discover that we need to change our perspectives. Or that the event will change our lives. Or that others will ridicule this change, reject us, misunderstood us, and persecute use. Or that the changes will demand more from us than we want to give.

Imagine if the women of Easter morning had given into such fears: After returning to the Upper Room where the disciples have hunkered together for mutual support, they quietly busy themselves making breakfast for the group. While their minds are spinning with a mix of excitement and turmoil, they hope that someone else will go down to the tomb and notice that Jesus has risen from the dead. They want that person to come back and validate their news before they speak it out loud to anyone.

And when no one does and their joy cannot be contained any longer, they take a deep, uncertain breath and say, "I think something wonderful is going on at the tomb, but it might be just my imagination." Silently, they worry, "Don't think I'm crazy!"

We've all handled the Good News this way at least once.

Notice the bold fearlessness of Peter and the other disciples in today's first reading. They've come out of hiding. They don't care how crazy they sound or what trouble it might cause. And 3,000 people are converted by their fearlessness.

What gave them so much boldness? The Holy Spirit. The two Marys on Easter morning had not yet experienced Pentecost.

How's your relationship with the Holy Spirit? How powerfully does the Spirit of God move within you and through you? The readings at Mass for the Easter season point us toward Pentecost. Let's spend the next forty days inviting the Holy Spirit to overwhelm our fears and enliven us in holy boldness.

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