We may find ourselves like St. Peter and St. John who "For until then they had not understood the Scripture, that he was to rise from the dead.". We may doubt or not really believe, in practice, that Jesus has risen, that life has conquered death, that grace has conquered sin. Belief in the Resurrection of Christ has not penetrated our hearts and lives.
As women, we can ask ourselves: "Who will roll away for us the stone from the entrance of the tomb?". Who has the power to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles of today's world? How can I - so constantly selfish, the hardest rock myself - move from hardness of heart to love? Who can resurrect in me Christ, seemingly dead, so that he lives in me and I in him?
And in the midst of a secular society that seems increasingly ridiculously hostile to Christian values, in which faith can seem increasingly meaningless, isn't Christ in fact dead, or at least dying?
But in spite of so many problems, Jesus refuses to remain in the tomb. Yes, today there are many high priests who would like to keep him there, sealed up, and keep Christianity locked up or confined in the sacristy. But Jesus refuses to stay dead. In spite of so many attacks on Christianity, on the Church, in spite of so many sins of Christians themselves and so many scandals, Jesus continues to emerge from the tomb, demonstrating that his grace and love are more powerful than all the forces of evil.
In spite of everything, the grace and power of Christ is still at work in today's society and in us. This year is a Jubilee Year of Hope and one of the most striking things about Catholicism is its hope. We may not realize it, but we have a profoundly positive outlook on life. We believe - even when we think we don't - that there is a good God who loves us, that he is our Father, that he sent his beloved Son to save us, that grace is at work in the world and that, ultimately, good triumphs over evil.
It may be helpful to compare it to the view we often encounter in society, which at best offers a kind of secular redemption, a dogged determination to press on in spite of everything. But we hope for much more: despite our many sins, we believe in God's forgiveness and grace to heal us and to have a deep and abiding hope.
Thus, we can truly affirm that Christ is alive. No human structure, no power of evil, not even our weakness, can lock Christ in the tomb: nothing can stop the explosive force of the Resurrection.
