Swahili translation uses a word - 'salamu!' meaning 'hello!', 'welcome', 'greetings!'... It struck me particularly last night when I was proclaiming the Gospel how ordinary and at the same extraordinary this greeting sounded and the whole situation 'on the road' presented itself...
Risen Lord meets women going back from the empty tomb, filled with awe and joy... He decides to use a low key approach as we would say these days. He just comes across them and says - 'hello!' Just like that. As if nothing extraordinary happened, as if they just met the other day and meet again on this occasion...
But it was nothing ordinary for these poor confused women. They fell to their knees, embraced the Lord and kissed Him.
This whole situation made me think intensely since last night. The simple way of Jesus entering our world of fear, joy, confusion, as we are on our way somewhere... He just comes up to us and says - 'Hello!'... Just like that... And yet this meeting is never ordinary... It is always a meeting that conveys a special message to us the same way those women were asked to go and spread the news on the resurrection of the Lord and the location of their future meeting.
The meeting with Jesus on the road made them immediately messengers of Good News, bearers of the most incredible piece of news the world ever heard - that Jesus is risen and He wants to meet his friends at a certain location...
We know the location. Our Galilee is His Living Word and the Most Holy Eucharist. It is our church where tabernacle is and the Holy Mass is being celebrated and the Word of God is being preached.
This is where He wants to meet us in the first place. And this is where we - who have met Him during this Easter in His Word and Eucharist - should direct everybody looking for serious answers to serious questions regarding their lives, its meaning and their destiny...
It is particularly interesting to note that the first witnesses of the empty tomb, the first people to meet risen Lord were women. And they were the first to be given this mission of spreading Good News of the Resurrection and directing people to Jesus... And this is what many women do till these times. Making sure themselves and their families are worshippers of God, families that pray morning and evening prayers, making sure the children are taught catechism and prayers since early days, making sure they go through Christian initiation - Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, worthy and holy catholic marriage etc. It is them who push their husbands to decent lives, reminding of seasonal confessions, urging them to do something worthy for the community and the Church...
It is them who sustain Small Christian Communities and excel in works of mercy and voluntary service. We could continue with this noble list for long...
Thank God that there are still many women in our world who do just the same thing which those first witnesses of the Risen Lord did then on Easter morning...
Jesus has come up to all of us this morning meeting us in our way through this world, and greeted us - 'hello!' He recognized us as His sisters and brothers, worthy of meeting and exchanging words as we journey in our lives... He entrusted each one of us who met Him this Easter - with a special message, special task, a mission - to go to our sisters and brothers and spread the Good News of His victory, and that He wants them to meet with him in Galilee...
So, what are we waiting for? Let's do what He told us to do! Happy Easter everyone!
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