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Gospel: John 20: 1-8
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Over the last three days, our readings have described the Christian journey in miniature.
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On Wednesday, we celebrated the birth of our Lord. This is the beginning of any journey of faith – believing in Jesus as Emmanuel, “God with us.”
The image of the Christ-child also serves as an appropriate image of faith for a new believer, whose faith is still meek and mild.
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Yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of Saint Stephen, who performed miracles, preached skillfully to crowds, and ministered to widows.
Stephen represents what happens to us when faith begins to mature: we act on it.
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Today we encounter the third, final stage of the Christian journey: the empty tomb.
After we run the race of life to the finish and keep the faith, it’s our hope to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, whom Mary and the Apostles remind us, has been raised from the dead.
May the same Spirit bring us life, as well.
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Image credits: (1) Art and the Bible (2) Bible Art (3) Pinterest