Towards the end of the retreat, to invite retreatants to consider communion with the risen Lord, he suggests that the retreatant consider contemplating Jesus in the resurrection narratives and notice two things--first, that Jesus performs for his disciples and others, the unique role of the consoler. Jesus goes about consoling people, calming their fears, healing their wounds, quickening their hearts with fire and zeal for mission. Second, Ignatius also suggests that retreatants see in Jesus, divinity manifesting itself fully, revealing light and love and life--three sure signs of God's abiding presence among us.

In our liturgy for today, Monday of the Easter Octave, we encounter Jesus as he meets up with the women who came from the tomb. He sends the women to tell the good news that he has risen, and this while the Pharisees bribe the guards to make up a false story to prevent any news that threatens to resurrect what they believe to be the Jesus myth. That we are here today among millions of other believers in Jesus Christ bears witness to the strength of the testimony of those women, and the strength of their message too. "Tell them to go to Galilee and there I will see them."

Right there in the first sending of the women to become apostles to the disciples of Jesus, we already see, tell tale signs of something mysterious and big happening. How can the testimony of women find force in a community that holds women in second place--and with this the contrary rumours spread by religious authorities and Roman guards.

The disciples did as Jesus told them (believing in the women's words of course!). They went to Galilee and waited for Jesus there. Galilee for sure meant a lot to the disciples. Galilee was a place of much joy and fruitfulness in ministry. It represented for the disciples almost three years of intimate companions, of getting to know Jesus closely, of doing fruitful ministry with the Master, of seeing him do lots of signs up close, of seeing crowds thicken and increase by the day, and perhaps building their expectation about the real power their master and teacher possessed.

And in many ways, the Jerusalem events put a halt to their consoling Galilee experience, and so Jerusalem came to represent--horror, and frustration and much fear. Jerusalem was where their dreams were dampened and broken. In Jerusalem, they were paralyzed with a lot of fear for their lives and for sure, guilt and shame for the way they had abandoned, even denied their master.

But now, Jesus was bidding them all to go to Galilee. Jesus was making them go where their consolations were alive, where the joy of companionship and service was planted, and grew and bloomed and bore fruit. Jesus was asking them to embrace love and life and light anew. The days of Jerusalem darkness are over, and now it's time for them to regroup and rebuild their ministry.

Jesus consoles them. He makes them remember their past joys and experience these joys well up again like a spring. Jesus heals them of their wounds of betrayal and abandonment, and tells them to fear not and forgive, to build communion again. Jesus gifts them anew with the gift of truth and love. Truth that will make them take responsibility for their sins and surrender all their weakness to God's healing love again.

In due time, these same men would be seen again in the streets of Jerusalem, preaching boldly with the fire of the Spirit, penetrating even cultures beyond their familiar world by their word and work, most ordinary though these are, when now said and done in the name of Jesus, their Risen Lord and Master, assumes in their flesh the very power and wisdom of God.

We ask in this easter octave, that we also receive the deep consolations Jesus our Risen Lord comes to offer us: that we may see him more clearly, love him more ardently and follow him more closely, with his consolations helping us to fly again in his friendship and service. God Bless and still Happy Easter!

 

By Fr. Victor Ramos Baltazar, SJ