Go to Galilee

Jesus said to Mary Magdalene,
"Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." (Matthew 28:10)

Why Galilee?  Galilee is the place of beginnings, where they first met the Lord, where they were called to follow him.  A place of miracles and deepening faith, new-found purpose and pristine zeal.  We each have our own Galilee, the place where we first met the Lord and where he spoke to our hearts.  We also have our own Jerusalems, places of denial and betrayal, of suffering and confusion.  Doubts and questions, the darkness of the tomb.  After the Resurrection, Jesus is gentle: "Go and tell my brothers to set out for Galilee, and there they will see me."  Remember, return to your roots.

So we return to where we began, but we are not the same.  Our experience in Jerusalem has made us more humble, less self-sufficient.  Pain has widened our hearts, we are more open to grace.  We remember and return to our first fervor, but now with a little more wisdom and understanding.  We meet the Lord; he says "Follow me," and we find ourselves back on the road again.

"Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
Do not be afraid: go to Galilee and there you will see him.

The Gift of the Cross

How precious is the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return.

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By the cross death was slain and Adam was restored to life. The cross is the glory of all the apostles, the crown of the martyrs, the sanctification of the saints. By the cross we put on Christ and cast aside our former self. By the cross we, the sheep of Christ, have been gathered into one flock, destined for the sheepfolds of heaven.

(Saint Theodore the Studite)