Risen from the Dead

When Jesus died on the cross, the earth, in darkness, shook and swayed, rocks burst apart, graves opened, and the dead arose and walked into the city. A Roman soldier seeing these things from near the cross, cried out: “Indeed, this was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54.)

But the soul of Jesus went to Limbo where Adam and Eve and Noe and Abraham and David and Daniel, and all who had died loving God, were waiting for Heaven to be opened.

Suddenly a bright light filled the gloomy prison of Limbo as Jesus came among them. They shouted for joy and ran to Him. They listened to the wonderful news He brought. He told them that He was the Son of God, that He had come on earth thirty-three years before to be born a little baby so that when He grew to be a man He could die a frightful death and thus make up for the sins of the world and open Heaven for all. And He told them that in a little while He was going back to Heaven and would take them with Him to be with Him forever. Oh, how they thanked Him, but they could not understand why He loved them so much.

And late Good Friday afternoon, some of Jesus’ friends came to take His sacred body from the cross. When they had drawn out the terrible nails, they carefully took down His body and laid it in Mary’s arms. Poor broken-hearted Mother! How she kissed His precious wounds! How her tears fell and how she hated sin when she saw the awful holes in His hands and feet!

They wrapped His body in linens and carried it to a garden near by where they laid it in a grave cut in solid rock. Then they closed the opening with a great stone and went away.

St. John took the Blessed Virgin home with him. There poor Mary Magdalene and some of the other women came. Their hearts were too broken to sleep that night. They went over and over all that had happened during the last few hours. They could see nothing but that torn, bleeding body hanging on the cross. They could hear nothing but the words He spoke—how He prayed for the men who were killing Him, saying: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34); how He cried out: “I thirst!” (John 19:28); how He told Mary that John would now be her son; how He told John that Mary would be to him a mother.

Thus the hours passed. They scarcely knew whether it was day or night. But Saturday, the Sabbath, when the sun had set, Mary Magdalene and two other Marys went out and bought sweet spices and perfumes so that early the next morning they might go to the grave and put them on the body of Jesus.

In the meantime the Jewish priests remembered that Jesus had said that the third day after His death He would come back to life. They were afraid that the Apostles would steal away His body and hide it and then tell the people that Jesus was alive; and that when the people had seen that His grave was empty, they would believe the Apostles and believe again in Jesus. So they placed a body of Roman soldiers at the grave to guard it day and night.

And very early Sunday morning, the soul of Christ left Limbo and entered once more His sacred body. Jesus was alive again, and all glorious and beautiful, He passed through the solid rock and left the empty grave. Then an angel came down from Heaven and rolled back the stone. The strong Roman soldiers trembled with fear. They looked into the grave they had guarded so carefully and saw that the body was gone. Then they ran to the priests who had hired them and told what had happened. But they hushed them up with money and bade them say that whilst they were asleep the Apostles came and stole away the body.

That same morning before the sun was up, the three Marys started for the garden. As they walked along, they asked one another how they could ever open the grave, for the stone was too heavy for them to move. But as they entered the garden, they saw to their great surprise that the stone had been rolled away. They were frightened, but went up close enough to the grave to look in. There they saw an angel clothed in white and brighter than the sun, sitting at one end of the grave, but the sacred body was gone. As they were drawing back in fear, the angel spoke to them and said: “Be not affrighted; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: He is risen, He is not here; behold the place where they laid Him.” (Mark 16:6.) The women were frightened and yet filled with joy at the angel’s words, and ran to tell the Apostles that Jesus was risen from the dead. The Apostles would not believe it, and Peter and John ran to see for themselves. They found the linen cloths and the napkin that had been about His head, but the body was gone, and seeing this, they believed and went home.

Mary Magdalene stayed by the grave, crying, because she thought someone had taken away the body of Jesus and she wanted to find it. Turning around, she saw a Man standing by her who asked: “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?” She, thinking it was the gardener, saith to Him: “Sir, if thou hast taken Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away.” (John 20:15.) He said to her: “Mary!” (Verse 16.)

Then she saw that she had been talking to Jesus and, crying out, “Master!” (verse 16) she fell at His feet.

Jesus spoke to her and then sent her with a message to the others. With her heart beating for joy, Mary went and told them that she had seen the Lord.

And late that same day, all the Apostles except Thomas were together in the room where they had made their First Communion. They had the doors and windows locked, for they were afraid that, having killed Christ, the Jews might try to kill them too. All of a sudden, they saw Jesus standing in the middle of the room, and He said to them: “Peace be to you!” (John 20:19.) But they were afraid, for they thought it could not really be Jesus but a spirit, because the doors had not opened and there was no other way to get in.

Then Jesus showed them that it was really He. He told them to come and take hold of Him and feel His body, and He showed them the wounds in His hands and feet where the nails had been and the hole in His side where a soldier had pierced His heart with a lance after He was dead. Then the Apostles believed and were filled with joy.

And Jesus stayed and ate with them, and before He left He said again: “‘Peace be to you. As the Father sent Me, I also send you.’ When He had said this, He breathed on them; and He said to them: ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.’” (John 20:21-23.)

The day on which Jesus arose from the grave is called the day of His Resurrection or Easter Sunday.