Hearing The Word

A weekly newsletter delivering context and insight into the Sunday Gospels.

April 5, 2026

The Resurrection of the Lord

John 20:1-9

On the first day of the week,

Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,

while it was still dark,

and saw the stone removed from the tomb.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter

and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,

“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,

and we don’t know where they put him.”

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.

They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter

and arrived at the tomb first;

he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.

When Simon Peter arrived after him,

he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,

and the cloth that had covered his head,

not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.

Then the other disciple also went in,

the one who had arrived at the tomb first,

and he saw and believed.

For they did not yet understand the Scripture

that he had to rise from the dead.

+

The Empty Tomb

Dr. Kelly Anderson, S.S.L., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biblical Studies for the Major Seminary, Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary + Ambler, Pa.

This beautiful Easter passage is very rich, but I’ll only make five small points.

First, we begin on the “first day” in “darkness.” Darkness recalls the betrayal of Judas who left when it was “night” (John 13:30), and since that time the world has been ensconced in darkness. But “the first day” and “darkness” also recalls Genesis where God created the world. That event, too, began in darkness, but when God speaks, light floods the world and overcomes the darkness. Likewise, too, Easter Sunday is a new beginning where a new creation has taken place. The light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the darkness of betrayal, despair, and even death has not overcome it (cf. John 1:5).

Second, Mary Magdalene comes at night, searching for her beloved. Thus, she is like the woman in the Song of Songs who goes forth in the night to search for her beloved who slowly disclosed himself to her as she searches for him (Song 3:1-4; 5:6b-7). Thus, Mary Magdalene stands as a symbol of the Church, searching for her Lord who is mysteriously present, and who slowly makes himself known to his bride, the Church!

Third, Mary sees a rock rolled away from the tomb. The rock is cold, lifeless, and the tomb is an enclosed place of death, a prison for the dead. But the cold, lifeless mass is mysteriously removed, and the prison of death is transformed to a passage to life, a passage to the infinite.

Fourth, there are two cloths in the empty tomb, and this recalls Lazarus, who also came out of the tomb but was bound by two cloths, perhaps meaning he was still bound to death, for his return to life was temporary (John 11:44). Now Jesus’ burial cloths fall away from his glorified body, and Jesus is eternally free from death.



Finally, Scripture helps one understand the resurrection, and knowledge of the resurrection breaks open the Sacred Scriptures. Thus, the profound depths of the Scripture come into focus when read in light of the triumph of the Lord.

The Tomb's Emptiness as the Fullness of Our Salvation



~Jeffrey Faneck

Saint Matthias Catholic Church + Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

In order to fully appreciate the events of Holy Week, we need to time travel to the Old Testament days and understand how things were back then. The punishment for sin was death, so let’s quickly abort and return to the present day!

This is more comfortable, right? We understand that we have Mass for the forgiveness of venial sins and the sacrament of reconciliation for mortal sins and those lesser sins that we still wish to bring to God.

So what specifically changed between the time of the Old Testament and modern day? The answer, of course, is Jesus Christ.

God sent His only begotten Son into the world as a man who would grow up to teach the scriptures and ultimately fulfill the foreshadowing done in the Old Testament.  

John the Baptist started the movement with preaching repentance. He then decreased, so Jesus could increase. Jesus called four fishermen as well as a tax collector as those among the first to help build this new church, and they all did just fine with the big responsibility.

The group learned from Jesus and even were blessed with His healing power on some missions. Though they spent significant time around Him, they did not grasp what was about to take place during what we now call Holy Week. Mary Magdalene was the first to notice the tomb was empty. 

Easter Sunday we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead, ultimately conquering death, taking away the sins of the world, and being our redeemer. He suffered death for us, for all of us.  

That empty tomb has become the symbol of our total salvation from the impact of sin.

Now, those who believe in Him and lead a Christ-centered life on earth are given the hope of everlasting life with Jesus in heaven after this life is completed. We’re to repent, as John the Baptist, instructed, and to utilize the sacraments, as our modern church teaches.

This coming Sunday is no ordinary Sunday. It’s even greater than Super Bowl Sunday. This is Easter Sunday…this is Salvation Sunday!