Sermon by Father Alex McAllister SDS                   Index

Easter Vigil—2002      Homily

In the various accounts by the Evangelists of the Resurrection the women always go to the tomb to finish the anointing of Jesus’ body and wonder who will roll the stone away—but when they arrive at the tomb they find that the stone has already been moved.

In the account by Matthew we have just read it is all a bit different. The women literally see the stone being rolled away from the tomb and it is the Angel of the Lord who moves it. During an earthquake he comes rolls the stone away and promptly sits on it.

None of the other Evangelists refer to this earthquake. As for the angel, Mark has a young man inside the tomb who we suppose to be an angel, Luke has two men in brilliant clothes and John doesn’t have anyone there at all.

Ordinarily one would suppose that all these differing accounts ought to lead us to disbelieve in the resurrection. But not so, because our faith in Christ is not based on a Sherlock Holmes type of forensic deduction. And neither was the faith of those women.

Nor is there in any of the four accounts an actual description of the resurrection only the discovery of the empty tomb.

The disciples believed in the resurrection because they realised that what Jesus foretold had now been fulfilled.

Matthew introduces the Angel and the earthquake for dramatic purposes to emphasise that this is the work of the Father. This is an event of cosmic significance, something that unites earth and heaven and whose impact reverberates both backwards and forwards in time. Not something that could happen without a whimper.

The Angel invites the women to verify for themselves that Jesus body is no longer in the tomb and then urge them to tell the disciples. The women obey the Angel and run to find the disciples and almost suddenly see the risen Jesus himself. They fall down before him and clasping his feet worship him.

Not a word is spoken by the women but their actions speak louder than words.

Let this be our watchword too. We may not have the words with which to give a sophisticated analysis of our faith in the resurrection but let it be revealed to those around us by our actions‑by the things we do in the ordinary course of events.

Let our belief in our Risen Lord and Saviour be revealed not by a multiplicity of proofs but by acts of kindness, by words of concern and the tenderness of our touch.

May God bless each and every one of you—may your lives be filled with the radiant light of Christ and may you bring the good news of the resurrection to all you meet.