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FIRST REVELATION: The resurrected Christ was given to Mary Magdalene; that’s what the evangelist Mark tells us. Jesus then accompanied the disciples to Emmaus and finally appeared to the eleven apostles (compare Mk 16:9-15). In all these revelations, Jesus wanted to restore their peace, stimulate their faith, and revive the apostolic mission to which they were called. It is true that when Master needed them the most, his disciples were cowards. Even after the resurrection, they were still confused and full of doubts. Christ „ revealed himself to the Eleven as they sat at the table and reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart for not believing those who saw him resurrected“ (Mk 16, 14).

Despite everything, Jesus did not hesitate to confirm them in their vocation: they were chosen as his witnesses, and he did not want to replace them with others. God’s commission ended this visit: „Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to all creation“ (Mk 16, 15). The gift of a vocation for an apostolic mission belongs to them, even if they are not particularly strong or exceptionally well-prepared. This explains the commotion caused by Peter and John when they healed a paralyzed person after a few weeks: „ They knew that they were unlearned and simple people, so they were shocked “ (Acts 4, 13).

Apostles with their gifts and faults will be „fishermen people“ sent to all the seas of the earth. This is how everyone realizes that salvation is God’s work. „Every man and every woman is a mission, and that’s why they live on earth (…). The fact that we are in this world without prior decision of our own leads us to realize that there is an initiative that precedes us and calls us into existence. Each of us is called to think about this fact: I am a mission on this earth, and therefore I am in this world“[1].

God reckons with our strengths and weaknesses …

SAINT PAUL he understood well what it means to be an apostle of Jesus Christ and expressed it in these words: „ So I will rather boast of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. That is why I delight in weaknesses, in disgrace, in need, in persecution, and anxieties for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am intense “ (2 Cor 12, 9-10). Our own weakness can be a strength for the disciple, because when we find ourselves without our own resources, we find that we have the greatest gift that always remains to us: God, who gives himself entirely to us. That is why the apostle of the nations boasts of his weaknesses. „ He does not boast of his actions, but of the action of Christ, who works precisely in his weakness“.

When proclaiming Christ’s message, the experience of our own vulnerability does not have to shake us if we have a humble attitude and complete trust in God’s action. The evangelization of the Church belongs to him, and not to us. We feel, like St. Paul, that we are a „ clay vessel“ (2 Cor 4, 7), which God fills with the treasure of his grace, and thus in it we undeservedly receive priceless jewels. 

The kingdom of God is not realized only because of a good human strategy, nor does it rely only on our ability to face new challenges. Although all this can certainly be part of our contribution, we find strength and knowledge for our mission in God. The Lord unites us with his kingdom because he wants to count on us to expand it: and that is wonderful. „ As our union with the Lord grows, and our prayer intensifies, we too go to the essence of things and understand that it is not the power of our means, our virtues, our abilities that bring about the kingdom of God, but that it is God who works miracles precisely through our weakness, through our inadequacy to the task.

Finding strength in the Risen Christ …

„GO WORLDWIDE and preach the gospel“ (Mk 16, 15). This is the imperative command of the Master. They were gathered in the same house, perhaps at the same table, where Jesus gave them his Body to eat and his Blood to drink. The apostles did not apologize for their lack of fidelity or moral strength. They did not even speak to the Risen Lord, although they certainly thought that the mission was too great. How did they feel when they heard those words of Jesus? They certainly felt as if they were dizzy, having been entrusted with such an ambitious message. „Shall we reach the whole world?“ they asked. „ After all, we couldn’t even show ourselves to those in our own city“.

When they only looked at themselves, it was easy to convince themselves that this mission was utopian. But the sight of the Risen Lord changed everything: they looked at the palms of his hands, at his side, at his eyes; if Jesus wanted them to travel the whole world, they would do it in his name. For this mission, St. Josemaría proposed the following itinerary: „Know Jesus Christ; make him known to others; take him with you everywhere. This mission, which concerns all the baptized, is carried out primarily by allowing ourselves to be attracted by Jesus. „ Let yourself be loved by him, and you will be witnesses whom the world needs so much“. As with St. Peter, our own experience with the Lord’s love is the starting point for attracting others to this love: “We cannot fail to talk about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4, 20).

Faith grows through personal testimony, it is strengthened in mission. This is how we are sure that making Jesus known to other people is the most precious gift we can give. As a good mother, Mary encourages us to be able to give our best with God’s grace.

We humans often lose heart, just like the apostles who witnessed the end of their beloved Master. Only very slowly do they begin to perceive the events that had paralyzed them. And after the testimony of women who bring fragrances to anoint Jesus’ body and discover, with astonishment, that the great stone guarding the entrance to the tomb is rolled away, the apostles begin to act.

Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, was resurrected! The reality of the empty tomb is preached to the disciples by the women. When the women announce what has happened, they are to remind the disciples of the meeting that Jesus spoke about at the Last Supper. The testimony of the empty tomb in them renews the courage and interest to follow the Master again, and they still have no idea how much power the Master will fill them with. After a personal encounter with Jesus and the surrender of the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles are truly transformed. The same apostles who, fearing for their lives, leave their Master and hide so that no one can convict them, enter the temple to testify about what they have seen and heard.

To the dismay of the powerful, they testify that the case of Jesus of Nazareth is not over. The disciples even perform in the temple, proclaiming the resurrection and fully aware of the power they received from Jesus. They announce, heal, and testify! Therefore, the council gathers, powerful forces are concentrated, and they are furious that someone threatens their power again. They feel threatened by the news about Jesus, which they now have to deal with once more. The event of Peter healing the sick is especially unpleasant for them because they have to admit that something truly special had happened.

And now he is afraid of the reaction of the people, but especially of the transformation of the apostles. Peter is invited to explain who allowed him to do good deeds! Great tension and confusion can be felt from the speech of the apostles present, and they try to avoid the question that would lead them to the already solved case of the Master of Nazareth. Peter, already another Peter, new, strong, and filled with the Holy Spirit, testifies to the essence of his deeds. Everything I do is in the name of the one you wanted to silence, Jesus of Nazareth. Now Jesus acts and speaks through the new Peter. 

Brothers and sisters, Jesus’ resurrection is, without a doubt, a demonstration of God’s power. Today, I do not want to dwell on how God did it. We know that the resurrection of a dead body is incomprehensible and impossible from a rational point of view. We can only marvel and remain standing in silent amazement at how God works. Furthermore, we can rejoice that the power of death does not have the last word. We can let the peace and certainty pervade us that just as God acted in the case of his beloved only-begotten Son, he will one day act in the case of us.

I want to reflect on, above all, the reactions that Jesus’ resurrection has provoked among people. This unique event in history divides people basically into two groups. Unbelievers and believers.

Let’s look at how the evangelist Matthew describes the reaction of unbelievers to the event of Jesus’ resurrection. The guards before him were trembling with fear. They remained dead. For the unbelieving man, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a terror, a calamity, an unmitigated disaster. Why? Simply because the “Judge” is alive. If we have not accepted Him as Savior, or rejected Him as Savior, what can we expect from Him as “Judge” from a human point of view? That He would be gracious to us? That He would have mercy on us?

We see the Roman guards of the tomb, trembling with fear and remaining as dead – an accurate illustration of what awaits the unbeliever when he meets the risen Christ – fear… We may not like to hear it, but it is the truth.

And whether that is why the unbelieving man tries to keep Jesus “dead”, to keep Him in the grave. After all, the dead will no longer admonish us, the dead cannot and will not prove to us that we have misunderstood anything. The unbeliever would rather invent a fairy tale about how Jesus was stolen at night from the tomb guarded by professionals by His amateurish, frightened, and determined disciples, who waited until the Roman guards were peacefully asleep and then began to announce everywhere that He had risen from the dead… How sad and pathetic it is when one cannot look the truth in the face!

And what is the reaction to the resurrection of believers? There appears to be awe. It is a mixture of wonder and awe at the mystery of the resurrection. Awe is a typical human reaction to something unknown. The awe of the believer, however, is different from the fear experienced by unbelievers. The German religionist Otto describes this difference very nicely when he speaks of the mysterious tremendous and the mysterious fascias. The mystery is the fear of a God who is inscrutable and unreadable, who can hurt us and punish us.

On the other hand, there is the mysterious fascination. This is a fear that, at the same time, attracts us, fascinates us, and fills us with joy and inner peace. Hence, also among the women we read, they went quickly from the tomb, and with fear and great joy they ran to tell his disciples. For believers, then, this is joy.

This joy cannot remain only in the private sphere. It must be shared. It needs to be proclaimed, to be spread. The women of the Gospel understand this and act: they run to tell his disciples. Let us run too! Let us proclaim to our neighbors that Jesus is alive! Let us proclaim this good news of the Gospel to all those who grieve and mourn! To those who are depressed in life! Let us proclaim that there is still hope for man. Dear brothers and sisters, the resurrection of Jesus not only shook the earth at that time, but also.. Where are we in all this? For me, today is the day of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, a day of joy and gratitude. For in the risen Christ I recognize my personal Redeemer, and I know that my eternal salvation is sure. I wish you joy, appreciation, and assurance of salvation today.

Today, the entire Christian world has fallen silent. The bells do not ring, and we all remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And yet today, we are not quiet. Through devotion, we experience again and again the events that culminate in Christ’s exclamation from his cross: „It is finished“ (Jn 19,30). 

Death was destroyed on this cross of his. This is where human malice, human egoism, and man’s contempt for man, which leads to murder and genocide, stopped. Christ, who did not take offense at this cross, but accepted it out of love for the Father, rose from the dead on the third day, destroyed the power of death, and showed us a way out of the unhappy situation. He who was blameless, who did not commit any evil, like a sheep led to the slaughter, said nothing, did not open his mouth to say: look how you lie, I am innocent, I didn’t do anything wrong, why are you torturing me? The apostle Peter wanted to defend him with the sword, but Jesus said to him: Hide that sword! Don’t you believe that my Father, if He wanted to defend me, could not send angels to protect me? Please put down your sword, for he who fights with the sword will perish with the sword.

Jesus Christ allowed that our injustice, that our sin, that the sin of his generation, egoism, representatives of the politics of the time, captured him and brought him to the cross. Jesus Christ took this egoism on his body. And what happened? This Jesus, who was not saved by the Roman justice represented by Pilate, nor the Jewish piety expressed by love for the Torah, this Jesus Christ was resurrected on the third day by God and made Lord. This Jesus Christ is God; that is the way to love and die. That is love that goes to the cross. And what do we think will save our marriages, our relationships? Who will lead us out of our crises and delusions? The justice of this world, which only frees the innocent and therefore gives us a thousand righteous causes, how to kill an unborn child and not be a murderer? Or perhaps false piety, which, to keep the law, eventually leads to hypocrisy and Pharisaism and puts us in the role of judges?

I know, choosing the cross in your life – even today, as in the time of Jesus Christ – is a complete madness for many and an offense for some sincere-minded people. Pilate also placed Barabbas before the people together with Jesus Christ, and the people who loved the Torah and kept the Law asked to free Barabbas, while they asked for death for Christ. Pilate represented law, and Barabbas represented human justice, because he fought for the freedom of his nation, and at the same time, an innocent person died.

That’s why Christ says, „Take your cross“. What does that mean? If you are destroyed by the sins of your wife, or man, or colleague at work, or you cannot accept the situations set for you by this society, choose Jesus Christ and his path today. Only in this attitude of Jesus will the sin that divides us be destroyed. Only from that cross of Jesus will a new life come, restoring our relationships and giving us the strength to start anew. The righteousness of this world has already buried many marriages, destroyed friendships, and set people against each other, for this world has no power to conquer sin. Sin was destroyed only on the cross of Jesus Christ. Let us allow today through this word that the sins of others on our cross, which we want to receive together with the cross of Christ, will stop. 

„O, cross venerable! You are the glory of the believers and support of the suffering, the strength of the apostles, and the protector of the righteous. You are the salvation of all saints. Moses already depicted you when he opened his hands and, with your help, overcame Amalek. All creation rejoices joyfully when it sees you exalted, because by doing so it glorifies Christ, who in his disproportionate goodness through you has gathered all the scattered.

In monasteries where monks or religious people live, it is a good custom for all monastery members to take turns doing official work, such as preparing food, washing dishes, or taking care of the cleanliness of the premises. Young and old, ordinary and introduced. Years ago, I was a young priest in Frankfurt, Germany. They accommodated us in a dormitory near the college run by the Jesuits. It went without saying that we sat at the same table with different people during breakfast or lunch, often with older professors who sometimes served us. There used to be many of us in the seminary for future priests; we ate in the standard dining room, but the superiors and professors did not sit with us.

On Mandy Thursday, we read from the Gospel of John every year about the last supper that Jesus celebrated with his disciples. He sat at the table with his disciples and performed a service before dinner, which was reserved for male and female servants: he washed his friends’ feet. In some larger churches today, foot washing is part of the St. Mass. People whose feet are to be washed are washed in advance, and their best clothes are worn. The ritual is lovely, but it’s more about the game than the service. Jesus washed his dirty feet.

We should notice the connection between this service and what we call the Sacrament of the Altar, St. Mass, St. Reception. In the Middle Ages, all European people were Christians, but society was divided into privileged and subject, rich and poor. The church was split into clerics, lay people, priests, and ordinary believers. At St. communion was only attended by priests, the others only exceptionally, they even had to give it to them by order, at least on Easter. At that time, respect for the St. altar in the form of obeisance. St. Host was worn on the pole as a banner during the procession. However, almost no one received the sacrament. The understanding of what it is about has been lost. The awareness of the connection between Jesus’ actions and the church’s actions has been lost.

It is right to bow before the St. altar, the holy host, but we cannot see it as sacred. St. guests is part of the holy event, the holy event. What is that sacred event? The central prayer we read at Mass, he expresses it with the words: „He, before voluntarily going to death, took the bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples.“ Jesus’ holy event was his inner setting to live for God’s kingdom, serve the world’s salvation, and give everything, including his own life, for these goals. That is why Jesus told the disciples that he gives them bread and wine, his body and blood. Finally, he said to them: Do it in memory of me!

What does it mean to do something in memory of Jesus? Maybe we have to read St. Mass, wash our feet, or even go to death? Yes, we should read St. Mass, but we cannot celebrate it without a genuine willingness to serve each other and give our lives for ourselves. Dining together, creating closeness, mutual service, and a desire to give life for each other were inseparable attitudes and activities for Jesus. However, for some Christians, including those attending church, these are separate activities. Although we have been together for some time, we have not become our own. We are together as people who, for example, get on the bus. Such people have common goals in something, a common direction of travel. However, they do not feel co-responsible for driving or for fellow passengers. The driver or the transport company is responsible for driving the bus. It is a great responsibility and service that does not transform anyone. People get in and out and don’t care more about themselves.

The St. Mass, the memory of Jesus’ dinner, receiving God’s word, and the St. bread are actions with much higher goals than a safe bus ride. If we profess Jesus, it is not enough to greet him, it is not enough to just bow before his image and the sacrament – a sign of his holy presence. If we profess Jesus, we want to understand and be transformed by him to act in his memory. Then our ceremonies, prayers, and speeches will not be just a nice game like washing and scented feet. Pope Francis is not in the habit of washing the feet of twelve venerable men when celebrating the memory of Jesus’ last supper. Today he went to a prison for women. Some Christians with weaker judgment say, What’s the point? They’re evil women, and a number of them aren’t believers… The Pope isn’t going there to praise them for the sins (for which they are in prison). It goes to show that we Christians care about other people and that we don’t think that we are better. He wants to show that we should serve and share what we have received well in life, and try to touch the human heart so that at least a small gap opens up in it, through which God’s grace will enter.

How are we together today? How do we start celebrating the Easter holidays? Are we together on a bus or as close people, transformed by Jesus into brothers and sisters, even with sinners? Let’s pray for ourselves that we become truly the family of Jesus, although different yet equal, mutually serving and once fully sacrificing ourselves in Jesus’ memory!