The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen as he said.
Come, see the place where they laid him; then go at once and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead, and is going before you to Galilee.
You will see him there. This is my message for you.” In fear, yet with great joy, the women left the tomb and ran to tell the news to his disciples.
Suddenly, Jesus met them on the way and said, “Rejoice!” The women approached him, embraced his feet and worshiped him. But Jesus said to them,
“Do not be afraid! Go and tell my brothers to set out for Galilee; there, they will see me.”
REFLECTION:
"Do not be afraid!” Jesus tells the women. He spoke these words over and over again to his disciples throughout his public ministry.
It is the essence of Easter, of Jesus’ preaching of God’s Kingdom, of the message of Gabriel to Mary and Zechariah,
of the angel’s message to Joseph as well as to those to whom they were sent by God in the Old Testament. On this Easter night,
as the darkness of death gives way once and for all, to the bright light of life eternal, we are reminded that because of the suffering,
death and resurrection, the words constantly spoken by God’s messengers in Scripture aren’t only meaningful and powerful, they are also real.
For one who believes, there is absolutely nothing to fear.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020