Matthew 28: 8-15
Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.
When I opened the Gospel text for today it was the word ‘ran’ which leapt out at me. We heard it several times at our Easter Vigil in John’s account of the resurrection. There we have the rather charming details of who ran faster and got to the tomb first.
I can’t remember the last time I had to run anywhere. Much of my life takes place at a fairly sedate pace. The pattern of the monastic day means that you are more or less sure of what is coming next and you organise yourself accordingly.
I probably most associate running with being a child and being eager to get somewhere or just running for the sheer pleasure of it. As a child there’s energy, freedom and excitement all mixed together as you run.
The women, we are told, are ‘filled with awe and joy’. Their reaction is immediate and heartfelt: they run to share the news, only to encounter Jesus himself along the way. It’s love which powers their running. When Jesus says “Do not be afraid,” he is offering both comfort and a call to action, reminding us that encountering the risen Christ is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a mission—to go, to tell, to witness.
Can you picture yourself running to tell the news of the resurrection?
Can you imagine the love that powers you?