Homily for Monday in the Octave of Easter

It has been said that the truth has a way of bringing out the stuff that people are really made of. Such is the case in our gospel passage this morning as we see two groups of people, each with a different reaction, as they discover the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” saw that the tomb was empty; they saw the Truth of the Resurrection (Jesus Himself) and, although fearful, they went off to proclaim the Truth with joy in their hearts.

The soldiers saw the empty tomb, went to report it to the chief priests and the elders, conjured up a lie with them, and then went on to live their lives in fear that the truth would be exposed: both the Truth of the Resurrection and the truth of their deceit.

As long as we have something to lose, whether it is our social standing, our reputation, our security, our investments, our pride, then we will have difficulty with the Truth. But the Easter greeting of the Risen Christ always assures us that He knows how we feel and He knows what we truly need.

The Risen LORD wants to calm our hearts with these four words: "Do not be afraid," so that we, too, can proclaim the Truth. The Truth, who is the Risen LORD, will set us free. So, let us not be afraid, Jesus will be with us to conquer all of our fears.+