1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint the body. 2 And very early in the morning on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb.
3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 But as they looked up, they noticed that the stone had already been rolled away. It was a very big stone.
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right, and they were amazed. 6 But he said to them, “Don’t be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified; he has been raised and is not here. This is, however, the place where they laid him. 7 Now go and tell his disciples and Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there just as he told you.” 8 The women went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them. And they were so afraid that they said nothing to anyone.
9 After Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary of Mag dala from whom he had driven out seven demons. 10 She went and reported the news to his followers, who were now mourning and weeping. 11 But when they heard that he lived and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
12 After this he showed himself in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 These men too went back and told the others, but they did not believe them.
14 Later Jesus showed himself to the Eleven while they were at table. He reproached them for their unbelief and stub bornness in refusing to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15 Then he told them, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17 Signs like these will accompany those who have believed: in my Name they will cast out demons and speak new langu ages; 18 they will pick up snakes and, if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed. They will lay their hands on the sick and they will be healed.”
19 So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took his place at the right hand of God. 20 The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied them.
JESUS HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD
Jesus' history comes to an end with the discovery of the empty tomb. In the last pages of the Gospel we find a brief account of the most important apparitions of Jesus after his death. He is no longer the earthly Jesus but the resurrected one, born again of the Father and never to die again, as Psalm 2 says: "You are my son and on this very day I have given you life."
Jesus has risen. The Gospel narrates events that took place after his death and mentions the names of those who saw the resurrected Jesus. Can we believe them? We would like more details to support our faith, but if even thousands of interviews with eyewitnesses were published, with pictures in full color to support the statements, there would always be room for doubt. We do not see him, we cannot find him. Where is he?
Actually it is not important whether there are few or many witnesses. This is a matter of faith and faith is something personal.
We doubt, not because there is not enough evidence, but because the event overwhelms us. How can we believe in a resurrection? The evidence, nevertheless, is there and has withstood recurring criticisms and even modern studies.
Finally, who will believe? Those whose own experience has prepared them to accept the most fundamental truth: the living God loves people and restores them to life. Some persons are predisposed to believe because they have experienced that God himself walks with them in their trials and gives them hope when everything seems lost. Because of this, they recognize in Christ the ideal human being and understand that he had to suffer before reaching his glory. They have learned the ways of God and that is why they believe the witnesses of the resurrected Christ.
It is not more difficult to believe in Christ's resurrection than to believe in his words, for both go together. "Those who believe have overcome the world," John the apostle says (1 Jn 5:5). This means overcoming the false meaning that most people give to their existence due to their ignorance of God. Whoever believes has overcome the fears each of us has when we have to pass through uncharted paths, when we have to set reason aside and entrust ourselves to God's hands.