Our Pilgrimage to the Empty Tomb

“You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the one who was crucified.  He has been raised up.  He is not here” (Mk 16:6)

Since that first Easter when Peter and John made their pilgrimage to the tomb of the Lord and found the burial cloths and the napkin that covered Jesus’ face lying there but His body gone, faithful people through the centuries have been going to that sacred place in Jerusalem. We may not be able to get on a plane or a boat but we can make that pilgrimage by going there in our prayers and especially by going to Mass at Easter.  His empty tomb is always accessible to us and stands in testimony to His love for us.

So, what happens to us when we get to His empty tomb?  The first thing is that our faith in Jesus’ resurrection is strengthened. The reality of the Christ’s rising from the dead is one that inspires awe and amazement. Even as we make that act of faith, the question “How is it possible?” may bubble up in our mind.  We must remember that the act of faith is not just dependent on a scientific exploration or quest for data.  Nor is it blind and unreasonable.  Faith is a gift from God that allows us to believe in that which we cannot see but, nevertheless, can experience.  It is an embrace of the truth that transforms us.  It is an encounter with the Person of Jesus Christ who was crucified and is now risen.  We are left in silence and faith-filled wonder before the mystery of God made man who has conquered sin and death.  It was the response of Peter and John and Mary Magdalene when they encountered the risen Lord. 

Second, when we arrive at the tomb, we experience renewed hope in the power of His resurrection.  We bring with us to His empty grave every sorrow and pain, every weakness and sin, every rejection and alienation, every tear and doubt and we lay them there where He laid.  We come to that place that seemed to seal His fate of defeat but, in fact, was the place of His victorious passing over from death to life. There we ask Him to transform every dark moment, every preoccupation, every failure, every moment of suffering and despair into the newness of life that He has won for us.  We bring to that tomb every person that we love, every person that needs to be healed, every person who has asked for our prayers, every person to whom we have promised our prayers.  Looking into the empty tomb we, filled with hope, beseech the Risen Lord to raise them up in glory and exultant joy.

Third, when we arrive at the empty tomb, we are filled with gratitude to the Risen Lord for all of the graces and favors that He poured out upon us in this past year.  Yes, it has been a year of sorrow and pain, of isolation and stress, but it has been for many of us a year of getting back to basics.  It has been a time of realizing what really matters.  It has been a year to be thankful for family, for more time spent with family members, or for new ways to remain in touch with them.  Perhaps our prayer life has deepened or we have had more time for things that we just couldn’t get around to. Many people have talked about a renewed appreciation for Mass and Holy Communion when it was difficult to be present in church.  We can be thankful that we have the hope that a full return to Mass and the Eucharistic Lord is on the horizon.

Most especially, when we come to the empty tomb, we are filled with love for God who loves each of us so deeply that He became one of us.   He laid down His life and His flesh for our salvation on the cross only to take it up again.  His love is so great that He stays with us in and through the Church and especially in the Sacrament of the Altar – His substantial Presence in the Holy Eucharist.  His love transforms our heart, our life and the world.  To experience this transformative love, we need only open our heart just a crack to let the glory of His resurrection enter.  When we come before Him, when we accept Him, when we adore Him, when we offer to Him our love, when we submit to His love, He does the rest.  Then we can go forth and share Him with the world. 

Our pilgrimage to the tomb is not one of sorrow.  It is a walk of joy and hope.  It is following the path of faith, hope, gratitude and love.  By making this pilgrimage we proclaim the truth - that His sacrifice is the source of His redeeming love.  We proclaim in this walk to the tomb that our redemption begins from the cross and culminates in His resurrection.  As the great Easter Sequence (hymn sung at Mass on Easter and during the Octave) tells us. “The Lamb redeemed the sheep, Christ the innocent reconciled sinners to the Father”.  How? By dying on the cross and then rising from the dead on the third day. Believing that brings us joy and peace.

Finally, on our Easter walk we begin to understand the secret of the empty tomb.   We realize why the tomb of Christ is so important. Gazing in and seeing it empty is not a sign of absence, of doubt, of confusion, of His leaving us.  Instead, the empty tomb is a sign of His victory, His unfailing love and His abiding Eucharistic Presence in our midst. We see that the empty tomb is not empty for us at all!  It proclaims that He is with us always and that He is our reason for undying hope!

Dear friends, let us make that pilgrimage to the tomb yet again this year.  Let us bring many with us to that sacred place in prayer.  Let us submit to the conquering power of Christ’s unfailing love.  For He has conquered sin and death on His cross and in His resurrection.  We entrust ourselves and our world to our Victorious Risen King!

Christ is risen from the dead, alleluia!
He is truly risen, alleluia, alleluia!

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh