Dear Parishioners,

Life is filled with surprises! We all recognize this because we have all experienced this. There are those who live for such surprises – those for whom things like unexpected parties, unannounced guests, sudden good news and unimagined changes become exhilarating and life-giving. There are others who dread surprises. They prefer life to be organized and predictable because this guarantees them the security, safety and comfort which makes the world manageable.

Regardless of anyone’s personal preference however, the fact is, we live in a world where surprises abound. The challenge for all of us is learning how to survive with or without these unforeseen and unpredicted experiences.

Our spiritual lives, no less than our mundane lives, are punctuated with surprises as well. Some are greater and more spectacular than others. Some of them may be annoying and unsettling, while others may be thrilling, life changing or even faith shattering. It goes without saying that some surprises can be catalysts for all of these reactions simultaneously.

On that first day of the week after the brutal death of Jesus, the evangelist Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb of Jesus at dawn. And behold, there was an earthquake. Few things are as surprising or terrifying as an earthquake because it is not only the actual quaking of the earth that catches us off guard, but we have no idea what will be next. Matthew deliberately announces this geological phenomenon with the Greek word BEHOLD. It is a word frequently found throughout the scriptures particularly in the infancy narratives of Jesus. It is a word layered with meaning. Its most immediate meaning and purpose is to call one’s attention to something that is presently occurring. It’s a way of saying “heads up” or “look out” to alert the person(s) to some experience that they should not. A secondary but equally significant meaning of BEHOLD is to direct one’s attention to the future – to some reality that is about to unfold precisely because of the present reality that has already unfolded. It carries the idea of that familiar phrase we sometimes use, “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” In other words, something more is about to happen.

For these women who survived the earthquake on the way to the tomb, something more did indeed happen. They discovered that the tomb which housed the crucified body of their friend Jesus, the body which they were hoping to honor with anointing rituals prescribed for the dead, was devoid of this body. And if the earthquake and Jesus’ missing body were not enough surprises for one morning, they also encounter an angel who attempts to calm their fears. (Good luck with that since whenever angels appear in the bible they always generate terror in the recipients of their visitations.) The frightened women are then told why the tomb of Jesus is empty, because He has been raised, just as he said and is going ahead of you to Galilee. Then, once again, they hear the Behold; Behold I have told you.

What is the women’s reaction to all these unimaginable surprises? They flee the tomb quickly fearful yet overjoyed. Fearful and overjoyed are the words translated from the Greek phobis and excstasis – the same words from which English derives phobia and ecstasy. Simply stated, the women bolt from the tomb overcome with phobia and ecstasy. If there were ever a surprise that justified both of the human reactions to that reality of surprise, it is the Resurrection of Jesus.

This great surprise gathers us together today on Easter Sunday. It is a surprise that no one, not even the early followers of Jesus could have conceived. As much as it elicited a unique rejoicing among them who came to understand that their Lord and Master was alive, it would also have elicited a unique fear of reverence and awe and this most unfathomable surprise the like of which creation had never known.

And so, whether we are those who enjoy surprises or those who resist them, the Resurrection of Jesus confronts us all and not only accepts both of these responses, but demands them. BEHOLD.

May the Great 50 Days of the Easter Season be a source of sacred surprises for us all!

Fr. Gabriel, O.S.B.

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