Following in the Footsteps of Jesus up to Jerusalem
A Lenten Pilgrimage of Hope
The following reflections are offered as an accompaniment to the short video clips we have produced for our Lenten journey this year for those who want a more in-depth meditation on each stage of this journey!
Christ is Risen
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So, they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28: 1-10
And so, our journey as Pilgrims of Hope in the footsteps of Jesus culminates at a place of death-defying hope and joy – an empty tomb near the place of Jesus’ cruel death by crucifixion outside the city walls of Jerusalem!
Though the Gospel writers present different accounts of this life-changing event, the facts they present from the eyewitnesses are consistent and present compelling evidence for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead as foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures and believed by millions of Christ followers throughout the centuries – including us today! It is therefore not surprising (although perhaps not anticipated by many) that a record number of adult baptisms took place in France at the Easter Vigil this year with some estimates as high as 17 800 people expressing their faith in Christ, our crucified and risen Lord!
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is without doubt the most dramatic event in human history and represents the decisive action of God concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord – see Romans 1:3-4! The resurrection of Jesus is not a resuscitation, but the revitalising of his physical body by the power of the Holy Spirit into an imperishable and immortal spiritual body through which he became a life-giving spirit as Lord of an endless life, and the first fruits of those who have died.
It represents God’s vindication of the sacrifice of his Son as the innocent Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world who as the crucified and risen Messiah of Israel has conquered death and the grave and opened the way for humanity to enter life eternal through faith in his atoning sacrifice.
The empty tomb therefore does not represent the end, but the beginning, of our pilgrimage of hope and as Easter people, we are a people of hope with a message of hope who are called to participate in the cruciform pattern of life of our crucified and risen Lord as we anticipate the coming of his Kingdom of righteousness, justice, peace, and joy! As we prepare and wait patiently for the coming of our King, let us again hear the words of the Church father Cyprian as he sees the crumbling of the Roman Empire and brings these words to God’s people: “Let us stand upright amid the ruins of the world, and not lie on the ground as those who have no hope.” [1]
Christ is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Questions:
Easter Prayer:
God of life, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of our enemy, death: grant us to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life and the hope of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Risen Lord, Amen!
[1] Quoted by Meba Maggay in her book Transforming Society, Regum Lynx, 1994, p. 108
