Dear Friends,

What a week this has been! Holy Week—the most sacred stretch of time in human history—is always a week marked by gross contradictions and naked betrayals. These painful moments were not carried out by strangers, but by those purported to be the "soul friends" of our Lord; a people He loved, served, and sacrificed everything for.

Led by the ever-impetuous Peter, the Apostles abandoned Jesus in His hour of greatest need. This was particularly stinging after Peter’s pompous profession that he was ready to die for Him. Did he? Not at all—though he did try to put up a misguided fight by chopping off an ear!

Then came Good Friday. The same crowd that had triumphantly ushered Jesus into Jerusalem just days prior turned against Him in a frenzy, baying for His blood. In a heinous judgment untypical of the Roman judiciary, Pilate yielded to the mob, allowing Christ to be tortured, humiliated, and executed by crucifixion—a death reserved for the worst of criminals. What a dark week it was.

However, after the senseless cruelty of Friday and the silent despair of Saturday, we reach the glorious light of Sunday morning. We move from despair to glory as in the most dramatic "happy endings" in human history, Christ rises! As the Gospel announces today, the tomb is empty, save for His burial clothes. The Lord is truly risen, Alleluia!

Yet, if we reflect deeply, the empty tomb by itself was not immediate proof for everyone. When Mary Magdalene saw the empty tomb, she wept, fearing someone had stolen His body. Even Peter entered the tomb, saw the linen cloths, and remained in a state of wonder and confusion.

It was only John, the "Beloved Disciple," who "saw and believed." Why? Because he understood the empty tomb through the lens of the Scriptures. It was the Word of God that finally opened their minds to the reality of the Resurrection. As is always the case, the complicated realities of our lives can only be properly understood in the light of God’s Word. In that light, everything begins to make sense—especially those confusing and seemingly meaningless circumstances that arrive unannounced in our lives.

The message for us today is clear. We live in a world characterized by overwhelming violence, crises, and scandals. We often struggle to make sense of what is happening in our Church, our country, and our own hearts. As we celebrate this feast of salvation, we cannot ignore that the very land where these events first took place is once again rocked by violence. The escalating tensions between Israel and Iran remind us that peace can feel fragile. We might be tempted to feel angry or frustrated, imagining God to be insensitive to the chaos of our world.

But the Resurrection proves otherwise. It tells us that God enters into the betrayal, the "legal" injustice, and the tomb itself to bring forth life. As we celebrate this momentous occasion, may the empty tomb give meaning to your current situation, no matter how difficult it may seem.

Christ is indeed risen! Alleluia!

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