Acts 2:14, 22-33 / Matthew 28:8-15 (2019 / 2010)
Truth has a way of bringing out the stuff that people are made of.
In the gospel, we see two groups of people with different reactions to the empty tomb.
The women saw the empty tomb, saw the Truth, ie. the Risen Christ, and then went off to proclaim the truth with joy in their hearts.
The soldiers saw the empty tomb, went to report to the chief priests and the elders, cooked up a lie and then lived on in fear and in worry.
Strange that the second group of people who are supposed to be people of courage and bravery, somehow succumbed to cowardice and deceit.
And it is surprising that the first group of people, the women, who were powerless, discounted and devalued, were the ones who lived up to the truth with courage.
So as long as we have something to lose, whether it is our social standing, our reputation, our security, our investments, our pride, then we will have a difficulty with the truth.
But the Easter greeting of the Risen Christ always assures us that He knows how we feel and He knows what we need.
The Risen Lord wants to calm our hearts with these three words "Do not be afraid" so that we too can proclaim the truth.
The Truth, who is the Risen Lord, will set us free. Let us not be afraid. Jesus will be with us to conquer our fears.