Matthew 28:8-15

Acts 2:14, 22-33

Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

Matthew 28:8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,

fearful yet overjoyed,

and ran to announce the news to his disciples.

And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.

They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.

Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,

and there they will see me.”

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city

and told the chief priests all that had happened.

The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;

then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

telling them, “You are to say,

‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’

And if this gets to the ears of the governor,

we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.

And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I praise you and worship you. I truly believe in the Resurrection of your Son. I believe that you have the power to raise me up. Help me to give witness to the Resurrection through my words and deeds this day.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Announcing the Good News: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary became the apostles to the Apostles. The “other Mary” is the mother of James and the wife of Clopas, who was the brother of Joseph. She was Jesus’ aunt. As two women left the tomb, they were fearful yet overjoyed. They were fearful because they just experienced a great earthquake, saw an angel of the Lord descend from heaven, and saw the angel roll back the stone at Jesus’ tomb. They were filled with an abundance of joy when they heard the announcement of the angel about Jesus’ resurrection: “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him’” (Matthew 28:5-7). As they were on their way to announce the good news of Jesus’ resurrection to the apostles, Jesus met them and greeted them. 

2. Go to Galilee of the Nations: Jesus confirmed the angel’s message about the need for Jesus’ brothers – his apostles and disciples – to go to Galilee. From the other Gospels, we learn that the disciples encountered the risen Jesus twice before they departed Jerusalem and went to Galilee. The Gospel of Matthew highlights the great commission that the eleven apostles received on a mountain in Galilee. The region of Galilee was mentioned earlier in the Gospel of Matthew as “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Matthew 4:15). It was where Jesus began his public ministry and Matthew saw this as a fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah 8:23: “There is no gloom where there had been distress. Where once he degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, now he has glorified the way of the Sea, the land across the Jordan, Galilee of the Nations.” Galilee was a crossroads of Jewish and Gentile cultures and peoples. By bringing the eleven apostles out of Jerusalem after the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread, Jesus taught them that their mission is to go out into the entire world and preach the good news: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

3. Some Doubted: Matthew emphasizes that Jesus’ disciples were slow to believe in the Resurrection. Some, when they encountered the risen Jesus in Galilee, worshipped him. But others continued to doubt (Matthew 28:17). This emphasizes the very real struggle to walk by faith. As the Catechism teaches: “[F]aith is often lived in darkness and can be put to the test. The world we live in often seems very far from the one promised us by faith. Our experiences of evil and suffering, injustice and death, seem to contradict the Good News; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it” (CCC, 164). It is possible that some doubted when they saw the risen Jesus in Galilee because they expected something different from Jesus as the Messiah. Where was the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus promised? Why were they still under Roman rule? Where were the restored tribes of Israel? Why were they still just a small band of people hanging around the Sea of Galilee? The Catechism encourages us that when our faith is shaken we need to turn to the witnesses of faith: to witnesses like Abraham, the Virgin Mary, and the saints who surround us (CCC, 165).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I believe in your Resurrection. Grant me a deeper faith in you as the Resurrection and the Life. Do not let my heart grow weary as I journey to you. Intercede for me before the Father so that I may overcome sin in my life and experience the resurrection to eternal life.

Living the Word of God: We are faced with a decision today. Will we refuse to believe in Jesus’ Resurrection like the soldiers and the chief priests or will we welcome the joy of the Resurrection in faith? The great deeds, wonders, and signs Jesus worked point us toward the truth about Jesus: He is true God and true man. He is our savior and redeemer. He is our Lord and our God. To those who welcome him in faith, he gives eternal life and a share in his victory over death. How can I grow in my faith today?