Daily Gospel Reflection for April 6, 2015

Today's Gospel: Matthew 28:8-15

Wow . . . talk about an action-packed eight verses! This short Gospel has it all: epic drama, suspense, grief, jubilation, surprise, deceit, bribery, and a splendid, victorious hero! It’s a story of loyalty, love, dishonesty, and the ultimate triumph of truth! Truth is a beautiful thing, and we serve the God of truth.

Growing up, the thing my dad held in highest regard was telling the truth; he considered truthfulness to be the most accurate mirror of a person’s character. He would often tell my brothers and me that one lie always ties itself to another and before long you could find yourself lying when the truth would fit better. That’s exactly what happened to the chief priests. How could anybody believe a small group of sorrowful and brokenhearted men appeared in the dark, rolled away an enormous stone, and snuck off with Jesus’ body all without waking the team of soldiers assigned to guard the tomb? As Christians, we know the truth fits better!

Sometimes Christ speaks truth to us, and in our hearts we can be a little like the chief priests. Sometimes God’s truth is tough, especially when living it requires difficult change. The laws and truths of our Catholic faith are clear and often difficult to follow, and we try to wriggle our way around them. Thank goodness we are loved by an Amazing Father who says to us, just as he said to the Marys in the garden that morning, “Do not be afraid.” He wants to lead us lovingly to his truth . . . his whole truth which offers the promise of eternal salvation.

Ponder:

What are some truths you are struggling with? The Marys in this Gospel were fearful and overjoyed. In prayer today, ask God to guide you through the fear and lead you to the great joy and freedom found only through living completely in his truth.

Pray:

Father of truth, bless me with an overwhelming sense of your power and goodness. Grant me courage to walk in your truth and accept your teachings. Lord, I ask you to reveal yourself to me today so that I can praise you and draw closer to you.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Sheri Wohlfert