He is Risen! He is not Here!

A reflection on the Third Sunday of Holy Pascha.

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. Mk 15:43-47

Dear family and friends, brothers and sister in our risen Lord - Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

I hope each and every one of us enjoyed and basked in a blessed and fruitful Pascha. I know speaking for myself, every Pascha that I am blessed to celebrate, is truly renewing and fulfilling. I can compare it to a growth spurt as a young teen;(In the spiritual sense of course.) reaching new heights and conquering new feats - this goes without saying, never by my own accord or strengths but that which God has graciously granted.

It is a wonderful and out of this world experience to grow each year in the Lord. Yes, There are hard, trying and most difficult times in life, where we come to believe that perhaps all hope is lost. However, surrendering totally onto Christ, via anchoring ourselves onto Him who is the corner stone and Only Bishop of His Church, we will no longer merely exist but live life to it's full potential!

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. Mk 16:1-5

Today the Church commemorates the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women. The first ones to experience the Lord's Glorious Resurrection and first Pascha! What an overwhelming and glorious moment to experience and be part of what the Prophet Hosea foretold in his sixth chapter verses one to three - Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

They were the first disciples to shout, proclaim and say Christ is Risen! After them, came many other women disciples to proclaim Christ is Risen. In fact, every woman Saint and Martyr is a disciple of Christ. Moreover, even right now, every baptized woman is called to be a disciple, married or not. It is our God given duty and right to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all who open their hearts unto God in humility and wish to hear the word of God. We must remember, through baptism we all share in Christ's Priesthood, thus we must evangelise to the world!

In addition, the Church has gave the title "equal to the Apostles" to Mary Magdalen and of course to those who are new to the faith, one may presume that she too was an apostle. This however cannot be the case because the Lord breathed upon His chosen male disciples, thus becoming Apostles via the imparting of the Holy Spirit (Consecration)! Jn 20:22

Thus, this title given to her simply implies her great status within the church as a champion of the faith. She lived the Gospel of the Lord to the absolute best of her ability. She surrendered her whole life to the service of God and experienced a radical and powerful conversion. After the resurrection of the Lord according to Holy tradition; past down by the Holy Fathers of the Church, she went to Ephesus (Modern day Turkey) with John the Evangelist to assist him in preaching of the Gospel until the end of her life, where she reposed peacefully in the Lord.

She had fought the good fight, ran the race and kept the faith until her very last breath just as the Apostle Paul wrights in His epistle to Timothy! 2Timothy 4:7

Thus, let us ask for her prayers and intersessions, so that we too like her can become beacons of light, shining in the world for the conversion of souls! May we also, like her, fall down to the ground in prostration and kiss the Lord's feet; worshiping Him in heartfelt and wholehearted adoration!

Through the prayers of the All-Holy Mother of God, our Lady Theotokos and virgin Mariam, Her spouse Saint Joseph of Nazareth along with Mary Magdalen and the Myrrh bearers, Lord Jesus Christ our God have mercy on us and save us. Amen

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”  Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. Mk 16:6-8