The Resurrection

After all the liturgies of the Triduum so full of drama and emotion, we are always struck by the simplicity of Jesus' self-presentation in the scenes of the Gospel accounts. He walks quietly in a garden, he is a fellow traveler on the way to Emmaus, without fanfare he walks through the locked doors of the upper room to greet his frightened disciples. And there he says only, "Peace,"  shows them his wounds and asks for something to eat. The quiet, the calm are astounding in their unpretentiousness. It seems Jesus wants to normalize the reality of his resurrected self for us, this new way of being intimately with us, while remaining truly, absolutely Other. His wounded, resurrected presence shows us who we are- we are meant to bear our wounds while profoundly aware that our wounds and dyings are not our deepest truth. We belong to God in Christ, wounded and gloriously risen for us. Resurrection, new life in Christ Jesus, is our destiny.

Fra Angelico, Noli Me Tangere, 1440-41, Fresco, 180 x 146 cm, Convent of San Marco, Florence, detail.