Christ is Risen!
This Sunday we commemorate the many personages connected to the final events of Jesus’ life who were witnesses to His death and Resurrection. This would include the Holy Myrrhbearing Women, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
The fact that one considers the place of women in the ministry of Christ and the usual role of women at that time in Jewish life, it is strikingly evident that Jesus welcomed women into his closest circle of friends along with the disciples. Jesus in His earthly ministry addressed everyone with the same love and the same message. He spoke freely with various women, healing many among whom was the woman with hemorrhage. We know from the Easter story that he was not only a friend to Lazarus, who He raised from the dead, but also His sisters, Martha and Mary.
It is indeed noteworthy that while the male disciples deserted Jesus at the Cross, except for John the Beloved, the women remained with Him throughout His ordeal. It was the women, unafraid of the consequences, who went early in the morning to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus in accordance with the burial custom of the Jews at that time. It was to these Myrrhbearing Women that the Risen Christ appeared and to whom the announcement of His Resurrection was proclaimed. The myrrhbearing women along with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus loved Jesus and were ever willing to serve Him even in death.
The message of this Sunday is that Jesus Himself set the pattern of love and service. For He said, “I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep” He taught us that, “the greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them”.
It is important for us to realize that an “earthquake” just like the one which occurred when an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled away the stone from the grave, is needed in our lives. This is to say to us Christians that a spiritual “earthquake” is needed in our lives, reaching every aspect of our being. This is the important message of this Sunday for we, as His followers, must continue in our service to the Lord, who rose from the dead granting us eternal life.
Christ is Risen!
