Is Seeing Really Believing?
 

~ When are we finally going to see? When are we finally going to start to believe?

This weekend is the holiest, most important time for us as Catholics. Celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord is something we don’t take lightly, especially here at St. Margaret of Scotland. We are happy you are here, and we want you to continue to join. 

Christ rises from the dead, but he doesn’t immediately go and appear to people. Instead, he lets people come and see the empty tomb for themselves. Mary Magdalene is the first to see that the tomb is empty, and it changes her life. She sees, she believes, and she immediately takes action. 

Peter and John are next. They hear from Mary Magdalene about the empty tomb, and they decide to go look for themselves. When they see, they really start to believe, and they go get everyone else. 

Once we truly see the empty tomb, when we actually understand the power of Christ, our lives are changed, and we no longer have a choice but to believe. 

We have been invited to come and see. That’s why we are here today. We are peering into the “empty tomb” – do we believe it yet? Do we really believe Christ rose from the dead?

Did hearing the words of God get us to believe? Our Scriptures laid out very clearly an eyewitness account of that Easter Sunday morning. We heard in the Gospel reading that Jesus is no longer dead. Do we really believe?

If not, then maybe the sheer magnitude of the community gathered here today is more impactful for us. Hundreds of us gathered together to celebrate the faith we all commonly profess is a powerful witness to the Truths of our faith. Do we believe them yet?

For some, words are not enough. They need actions, or something physical, to help them come to faith. If that is the case, then is it the Eucharist, Christ’s sacrifice for us, that is finally enough to get us to believe that he is risen? He is here with us, sharing his Body and Blood with us, each time we go to Mass. Is receiving the Eucharist enough to get us to want to live out our faith the way that Christ is calling us to live?

When Mary, Peter, and John looked into the tomb, they saw that Christ was no longer there. That wasn’t something they just saw and moved on from – it changed their lives. Once we actually understand for ourselves that Christ Jesus died and rose from the dead, there is nothing we want to do more than follow him and be in close relationship with him. We live our lives based on what he wants for us rather than what we want for ourselves. It means accepting what Christ teaches as being the truth, not the truths we have for ourselves. It means following the guides God gives us, rather than those created by ourselves or by society. It is not always easy or fun, but that is what it means to truly believe in the Resurrection. 

The question is this: Have we seen inside the tomb and really believed? If not, what is it going to take? Christ wants to have a relationship with you; will you let him?

Throughout the year, we present an article in the bulletin each week on a variety of topics, written by a member of our Parish staff or ministries on a rotating basis.