The First Glorious Mystery
The Resurrection
By May/June 2009
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New life!
“Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, so they went in; but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. They stood there puzzled about this, when suddenly two men in bright shining clothes stood by them. Full of fear, the women bowed down to the ground, as the men said to them, ‘Why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive? He is not here, he has been raised.’” Luke 24:1-6
Reflection
Jesus trusted his life entirely to God. He knew our Creator would not let him be overcome by death, but that God would raise his son to new life. This was the discovery made by the women who went to the tomb early in the morning. Jesus’ body was not there. Angels announced to them, “He is not here, he has been raised!” Jesus appeared many times to his disciples. Usually they had difficulty recognizing him. The Risen Jesus was different; he was the same, but somehow changed. Like the disciples on the way to Emmaus, his followers learned to recognize him in the breaking of the bread.
The Resurrection is the central part of our faith. We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus is the new Passover, he is our Easter. Life has conquered death. We believe that one day we who follow Jesus will experience the resurrection. Jesus proclaims to Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die...Do you believe this?” (John 11:25) That question is for us too. Do we believe in the resurrection? Have we already experienced the resurrection in our lives, or in the lives or others? Can we say, as Martha did, “Yes, Lord!”?
Mission Call
Missionaries are called to bring the gifts of joy and hope to people, especially those living in situations of suffering and death. With God’s grace, we point the way to new life in Jesus. We learn to recognize signs of the resurrection: when a community organizes to build a health clinic, when a village gets a well for safe drinking water, when a political structure is changed to respect human rights, when peacemakers achieve a truce or an end to a conflict. All of these events are signs of life; they are signs of the resurrection.
During this prayer time, let us praise God and thank him for the gift of the resurrection. Let us ask the Risen Jesus to give us new life. Let us pray for those who are in a spiritual tomb that they may be brought to new life. Let us look for signs of the resurrection in our world. Finally, let us pray for all of our loved ones who have been raised in the Lord and form part of the communion of saints.
Amazon Word
Every Friday afternoon our pastoral team visits CASAI, the Hospital for Indigenous Peoples, outside of Boa Vista. We visit with the sick and we celebrate mass. The sick come from reserves in this Northern Brazilian state, as well as from villages in neighboring Guyana and Venezuela. They are Inkarikó, Patamona, Makuxi, Wapichana, Yekuana, and Yanomami. Diseases vary, from tuberculosis, skin infections, and broken bones, to women expecting difficult births. Most patients are Christian; some are lay leaders in the church. About 40 people attend mass, singing songs in Makuxi, Portuguese, and English, listening to God’s Word, receiving communion, and praying for health. Many are healed and return home. We celebrate their resurrection
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