Whom to Believe?

Gospel: Matthew 28: 8-15

Today's Gospel scene is a bookend reminder of who the faithful disciples of the Lord are throughout the Gospels.  At the tomb we have angels appear to Mary Magdalene and the other women telling them of Jesus' resurrection.  Then, Mary and the women actually encounter the risen Lord himself.  He makes them the first missionaries to proclaim his living presence to an unbelieving crowd, in this case the male disciples.  The women immediately obey and do what the Lord said.

Recall how the Gospels began.  An angel appears to a woman, telling her she would be the mother of Jesus.  She accepts this mission readily and is the first to encounter the Lord at his birth.  By contrast, Mary is surrounded by men who doubt and do not believe, and yet she carries out her mission with the support of other women, showing us again the model of discipleship.  Men throughout the story show us discipleship through the via negativa - what not to do.  

At the two great feasts of the Church, Christmas and Easter, we are presented with women as the model disciples for us to imitate and follow as we seek to become better disciples each day.  As we encounter the risen Lord in our daily lives, may we imitate the women who took great risks in even being at the tomb and even more risk in telling the disbelieving and mocking menfolk the Lord's message.