They were talking about the immovable obstacle. “Who shall roll back the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” (Mk. 16:3). Then, they look up and the large stone is already moved.
They enter the tomb, expecting to anoint the body of Jesus. Instead, they see an angel.
First, they see the stone moved. Second, they see an angel from heaven. They are amazed.
And then, the angel speaks. The angel announces: “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him” (Mk. 16:6).
Angels see things differently than we do. We see the obstacles, the burdens, and the immovable things. Angels see what God has already done inside the stubborn barriers. And the largest and most immovable is death itself.
But God has done something even there. Notice that the angel still refers to Jesus as “the crucified.” The Lord, in His crucifixion, has overcome the powers of sin and death. And He bears the wounds. His wounds have become pathways of grace, the means by which we now recognize Him. And so, the angel refers to Jesus as “the crucified.”
Next, the angel announces that Jesus is raised from the dead. He has won the victory in His actual body, raised now from the dead.
Third, the angel invites the women to look at the last place they wanted to see: “Behold the place where they laid Him.” And the angel urges them to not just see the place, but to “behold” it with some level of fanfare and awe.
Whatever is immovable in our life, whatever the barriers are, whatever obstacle won’t go away, Christ has dealt with it on the Cross. He has conquered it. And He invites us now, through the Sacraments, to join ourselves to Him – so that when face the most difficult burdens of life, even death itself, – we entrust ourselves to Him and the power of His Resurrection.
Together with Fr. Bordonaro, Msgr. Murray, Deacon Hasson, and our teams across the parish, may you and your families have a blessed and Happy Easter! Thank you for sharing the journey here at the Church of Saint Eleanor!
Happy Easter!
Msgr. Bransfield
Pastor
