I am sure many are feeling that this Easter is different because our traditional, joyful tidings feel muffled by a continued feeling of uncertainty and trepidation hovering over the land.
Maybe it is not so different from that first Easter.
Pope Francis, in his Easter Vigil homily, said that the women going to the tomb “had before their eyes the drama of suffering, of an unexpected tragedy that happened all too suddenly. There was fear about the future and all that would need to be rebuilt. For them, as for us, it was the darkest hour.”
There was uncertainty that first Easter. No one really understood what was happening or what would happen next. It reminds me of this Easter.
Yet, that first Easter did not stay locked in fearful uncertainty. When Mary went into that empty tomb on that first Easter, the angel said, “Do not be afraid.” When Jesus spoke to her he said, “Do not be afraid.”
Our Risen Savior says the same to us this Easter season, “Do not be afraid.” This Easter season let us take to heart those words of encouragement and trust. Jesus is Risen and he casts out fear, sin and death.
This Easter season do not be afraid!
