The tomb has become the womb

 
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Jesus' tomb

By upyernoz from Haverford, USA (Jesus’s Tomb) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Today we look with Mary of Magdala and we see that the stone has been rolled back and the tomb is open. Like the opening of the Holy Doors to begin the Jubilee year, the image of the open tomb holds all the promise of mercy and the invitation to live anew.
Peter and John anxiously peer into the tomb to discover that the burial cloths had been discarded, no longer needed by one who was alive. They failed to see the significance; that Jesus was dead and entombed, but Christ has arisen to give forgiveness of sins to all who believe. The tomb of Jesus has become the womb of the mercy of Christ.
Two millennia later, do we appreciate the significance of the risen Christ and the empty tomb? Surely, we do rejoice that the tomb is open, but have we been reborn by the mercy that is given? Have we discarded the burial cloths of anger and resentment that we use to bind the wounds of our hurts and disappointments? Do we celebrated today that with Christ we walk out of the tomb of our sinfulness and are reborn as witnesses to mercy first received and then given to others?
Today the great Alleluia resounds throughout the Church. May it inspire us to live the words of the psalmist: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
-Fr. Bill Nordenbrock, C.PP.S. (Cincinnati)
This reflection comes from the Easter Reflections, prepared by the Precious Blood Family of communities:
Adorers of the Blood of Christ (US Region)
Missionaries of the Precious Blood (Atlantic, Cincinnati & Kansas City Provinces)
Sisters of the Most Precious Blood (O’Fallon, MO)
Sisters of the Precious Blood (Dayton, OH)
Sisters of Saint Mary of Oregon
Easter Reflections is available for printing here.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]