Matthew 28: 1-10
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
What Will You Leave in the Tomb?
When I was younger, I used to love going to the dump with my dad. We’d load up my grandpa’s pick up truck, back up to those big dumpsters, and throw old junk away.
A spiritual director once asked me on retreat, “What do you want to leave in the empty tomb?” It is a good question. The prayer that followed felt like that same childlike joy throwing things into that big dumpster, unafraid of it breaking, never needing to see it again.
I felt like I was taking load after load into that empty tomb. I was dropping off self-judgement, control, worry, guilt, shame, old sins, judgements of others, etc.
Of course, these things creep back into my life. But I now have the memory of putting them in their place. This is what Jesus and his resurrection give us the power to do: put death, and all that leads to death, in its place.
Let’s savor this memory of Christ’s victory, and return to it as often as we need to.
What do you want to leave in the tomb?
—Billy Critchley-Menor, SJ, is a Jesuit of the Midwest Province; he writes on Substack at From Every Side and currently studies at Boston College.
Prayer
Lord, in this day of waiting, this day of in between, we bring to you everything that is on our hearts. We bring our joys, our sorrows, our fears, our guilt, our worries, and our doubts. We bring them all to you and leave them in the tomb. Amen.
—Jesuit Prayer team