C: Easter Sunday (21 Apr 2019) - AMAZEMENT - Lk 24:1-12

“Then he went home amazed at what had happened” (Lk 24:12).

This is how our gospel today ended… in amazement. Some women from Galilee (Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary mother of James, cf. Lk 24:10) went to Jesus’ tomb early on the first day of the week to finish the anointment of his corpse but only to find it empty (v. 3). Two men appeared informing them that Jesus has been raised from the dead (vv. 4-7). The women subsequently testified to the Eleven and the other disciples who did not believe their tale (v. 11). In response, Peter ran immediately to the burial site and found it empty as reported. But he went back home in amazement.

The word “amazement” (“thaumazo” in Greek) may evoke two basic feelings: an awe-struck marveling leading to an admiration and eventual belief, or to a sudden surprise or wonder that questions the validity of an event. In the Gospel of Luke, such two-fold meaning exists. Take, for instance, the reaction of the crowd in Lk 9:43 after Jesus healed the boy with unclean spirit: “And all were astounded at the greatness of God; while everyone was amazed at all that he was doing.” However, in Lk 11:38 the opposite denotation is expressed: “The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner”. The former clearly infers a growth in faith on Jesus as sent by God, while the latter indicates an apparent aversion over his eccentric ways.

Similarly, Peter’s amazement can be interpreted in either way: he may be amazed in the sense that he realized that Jesus’ prophesy of rising from the dead was now manifesting itself (Lk 9:22; 18:33), or he may be amazed that Jesus’ body was taken by some robbers for some unknown reasons (cf. Mt 28:13-15). We may have known the answer if there was a next scene on what Peter did next after his amazement. Sadly, there is none, leaving us readers to only make a conjecture at what was happening inside Peter’s mind.

This is most probably the same feeling we had when we heard the news last April 15 that the Notre-Dame de Paris was burning… in amazement. Initially, it may be an amazement of shock: Are we merely day-dreaming? But once we had realized that it was indeed happening, this wonder was translated to a strong belief. Along with the French people and the whole humanity, we believe that this priceless edifice will rise again soon. This is not a mere slogan since billionaires have already begun pouring in money for its rebuilding. Such is the power of a unified amazement, it can resurrect something from ashes!

Funny how the human mind works. People can rally together to make something happen, and on this case, to raise back a historical monument. I have nothing against reconstructing Notre-Dame; definitely, it should be restored not only because of its historical value but its role in the preservation of the Christian faith in Europe. However, we wonder and question: why are there no millions of euros raking in for the survival of refugees, for the protection of asylum seekers, for the sustenance of the poor, and for preservation of human lives? Why do we give greater value to resurrect pieces of lifeless stone while ignoring the fact that there are millions of living bodies waiting by the second for mankind’s immediate joint intervention?

Appropriately, we remember here vividly Jesus’ words when he declared that in three days he would raise up the destroyed temple (Jn 2:19). His interlocutors understood his message to be the re-erection of the physical edifice. Yet, it is unmistakably explained in the text that he was referring to his physical body (Jn 2:21-22). The true house of God is the human body, not any man-made sanctuary. May we not be caught up with the modern bandwagon that puts more importance to ornamental infrastructures than to living persons. Let our amazement to Christ’s resurrection this Easter Sunday be translated into a unified effort to save more human lives.

- Rex Fortes, CM