Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in
the morning, while it was still dark.
Later, Simon Peter and John came
to the tomb. None of them understood
yet that he had to rise from the dead.
John 20:1-9
Speaking of visiting the cemetery where Jesus was buried, I have a fascination with cemeteries, especially the two in my own country parish of
Saint Theresa where I will be buried, the two in Calvary, Kentucky, down around
Lebanon, where I used to serve, the Sisters’ cemeteries at the Motherhouses at
Nazareth, Springfield and Loretto, Kentucky, as well as the abbey cemetery at
St. Meinrad in Indiana. With my new tombstone now in place, I find it even comforting to look down on the very spot where these bones will be buried someday!
I am fascinated, not with death, but with
those who have lived the Catholic faith and served the church, as I have done
these last 75 years. Cemeteries do something for me – several things, in fact.
(1) They remind me that life is short so I need to live well while I can. By
looking death in the face, it reminds me that death is a fact of life, not only
for those who have gone before me, but also for me. I feel that it is good to
remind myself to live with the end in mind. (2) They remind me, as well,
that I am part of a large family of faith, that stretches back for two thousand
years around the world and over two hundreds of years here in Kentucky. (3) I
am reminded of a line from the creed where we say that “we look forward to the
resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” We believe that
life does not end with the grave, but rather that we continue to live -
that we will rise again someday, just like Christ rose from his grave that
first Easter. (4) Believing in the “communion of saints,' it reminds me to pray
for those who have died and it reminds me that they are praying for me as well.
The great Lutheran theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
once said, “The pastor should visit the cemetery as often as he is able. This
is wholesome for him personally, for his preaching, for his spiritual care and
also for his theology.” Bonhoeffer was right. When I walk through these
cemeteries and view the names on the gravestones, I experience a peaceful,
reassuring calmness.
I recommend this practice to any of you,
especially when you are depressed or down about something. Looking death
in the eye makes us realize how short and precious life is, makes us put our
problems in perspective and restores our peace of mind so that we can get back
to living while we can. It reminds us that we are not alone, that we
belong to a huge family of faith and that we will be remembered after we die,
even by people who have never met us.
There are several things that stand out
when we read about the disciples’ visit to the cemetery shortly after the
tragic death of Jesus. First of all, it was a woman disciple who first brought the news about the
empty tomb to the men disciples. Obviously,
no one among them was expecting a resurrection. Even those who knew Jesus, saw
him die and viewed his empty tomb, were slow in coming to faith. Seeing
that the tomb was empty, Mary Magdalen immediately concluded that the body had
been snatched. The youngest apostle, John, looked in but was too scared to go into
the tomb. The impulsive Peter, wanting to get to the bottom of things, was the
first to enter the tomb. John was the first to believe, and only gradually,
over several days, did the others come to believe.
If the resurrection of the body was hard
to believe, even for those who were there, what about us? Are we not, also,
slow in coming to faith? As Jesus said about us to the doubting apostle,
Thomas, in his demand for proof, “Have you come to believe because you have
seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
With the Church, we believe in “the
resurrection of the body.” Saint Thomas Aquinas, the great theologian,
said that without the body, the human soul is incomplete. We need our bodies to
be who we are, to have memories and relationships, to express our unique
personalities. Our risen bodies will not be our limited bodies, but fully
realized bodies, glorified bodies. Our risen bodies might exhibit some
properties of our physical body, but without its limits. Like the risen Lord,
who seemed to pass through doors but was also able to be recognized, our bodies
will be our bodies, only in a glorified state. Frankly, I am still hoping to trade this old one in
for an upgraded version!!!!
If you are finding it hard to comprehend
what I am trying to say, don't worry about it. It really cannot be described in
normal language. Frankly, I don’t spend a whole lot of time trying to logically
figure all this out. I am simply comforted by the words of Saint Paul, “Eye has
not seen, nor ears heard, nor has it even dawned on human beings, the great
things God has in store for those who love him.” I can live with
that! I can still believe while I wait for an answer to all my questions!
So on this Easter morning, let us not just
remember the resurrection of Jesus as a historical event, but let us remember
it with our own end in mind. Let us look forward to our own resurrections -
whatever that reality may look like. All I know and believe, really, is
that it is going to be wonderful. Let us, in the meantime, remain
connected to Christ as we “wait in joyful hope” for that great and glorious
day.
