Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 13, 2020
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came to him, 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; there they will see me.”
While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to this day.
The witnesses of the empty tomb in each synoptic Gospel are described as “afraid.” Here in Matthew, the two Marys are “fearful yet overjoyed.” Today, standing so far from Christ’s empty tomb, and so familiar with Mary’s news, we might wonder: Why were they afraid? Why weren’t they simply overjoyed?
Juxtaposing the two halves of this story sheds some light. Certainly the text invites us to compare the activity in these scenes: the guards go off to report to the authorities, “while” the two Marys leave—running!—to tell the good news. These are simultaneous tellings, though with different results. Interestingly, the guards are not described as “afraid,” and yet it seems to me that there is no greater force at work in their part of the story. You hear their fear in the sum of money accepted to keep quiet, to refrain from continuing to report the news.
Running like the two Marys to tell the good news has a cost, too. The history of the Church has grown rich with such athletes—martyrs who are joyful witnesses to the empty tomb.
And so, yes!, the Marys were “fearful yet overjoyed”: trembling joyfully at the sight of emptiness, realizing the news they had to carry; trembling joyfully at the thought of being so loved, realizing what God endured to reveal this love. And so, with fear and joy they worshiped Christ when they met him. And with fear and joy they continued to run, carrying their news to others, no matter the cost.
The good news we hear today brings a joy that consumes the fear that guided the guards and purchased their silence. The Word of the empty tomb, rather, sends us forth, already rich with love: “Do not be afraid, go and tell…”
Let us listen and rejoice!
Prayer
Father, thank you for the Easter joy with which you have blessed us. Drive this joy ever-deeper in our hearts, that our fears may dissolve and that we may find strength to give witness to our encounters with the risen Christ. Amen.
Saint of the Day
In the four years during which he was pope, St. Martin I created powerful enemies with his stout-hearted defense of truth.
After he was elected pope in 649, one of his first acts was to convene a Church council to confront a heresy that distorted the way in which we understand Jesus. Monothelitism declared that though Jesus has both a human and divine nature (as is orthodox), he has only one will, which is divine.
In the controversy over this heresy, the emperor refused to support one side or the other, and commanded that the matter was not to be discussed.
Under Martin’s leadership, the council denounced Monothelitism, and proclaimed that Jesus has both a divine will and a human will to correspond to his two natures. Moreover, the council condemned the emperor’s edict, in essence saying that it was throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
The emperor was furious and sent soldiers from Constantinople to arrest Martin; he was imprisoned for months in a cold and dirty cell. He was fed little food, was not allowed to wash, and suffered from dysentery. When he was brought to trial, he was not allowed to speak and was convicted of treason.
He was eventually exiled to Crimea, where conditions did not improve. In fact, people there were under a famine, which made his situation worse. He died after two years, and is honored as a martyr for the faith.
Pope St. Martin I, you faithfully proclaimed the truth and died in prison for it—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Martin I is available for use under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
