Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.

Christ has risen! He has truly risen from the dead! Amen. Alleluia.

If you recall my post from last week where I told you how much I was thinking about what Bishop Barron told us that the young man in the white robe was you, that young man was me – how we all at some time run away from Christ, from our baptismal promises, in fear of the mob. We are all guilty of that at some point in our life. Well…I don’t know if you happened to be at the Easter Vigil Mass last Saturday night so I will share with you another passage from Mark’s Gospel that was proclaimed at the Easter Vigil Mass…

Gospel

Mark 16:1-7

When the sabbath was over, 
Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome 
bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
Very early when the sun had risen,
on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
They were saying to one another, 
“Who will roll back the stone for us
from the entrance to the tomb?”
When they looked up,
they saw that the stone had been rolled back;
it was very large.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,
and they were utterly amazed.
He said to them, “Do not be amazed!
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him.
But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 
‘He is going before you to Galilee; 
there you will see him, as he told you.’”

Look very closely in Mark’s account of Easter morning. Upon entering the tomb, who is it that announces that Christ has risen? On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. The young man in the white cloth is back. You are back. I am back. And what is even more exciting than knowing we are back is that we are the first to announce to the those looking inside the empty tomb that CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE HAS TRULY RISEN FROM THE DEAD! AMEN. ALLELUIA! Now that my friends is something to be excited about. Mark, through his inspired writings of this Gospel – The Good News – has given us the power to announce to all whom we encounter that CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE HAS TRULY RISEN FROM THE DEAD! AMEN. ALLELUIA!

Do something great for our Lord today – repent and believe in the Gospel, the Good News of the Lord. Announce to all who are looking inside that empty tomb that CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE HAS TRULY RISEN FROM THE DEAD! AMEN. ALLELUIA!

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Jesus, I trust in You.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.

CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE HAS TRULY RISEN FROM THE DEAD! AMEN. ALLELUIA!