For the seven weeks between Easter Sunday and Pentecost the Resurrection of the Lord is to the fore in the readings from the Bible.  Sometimes they focus on the change that came over the group of first Christians after they had received the Spirit.  At other times it is the appearances of the Lord after his resurrection which are presented.  These are intended to show the continuity between the Jesus who walked with them for three years and the risen Lord.

The Gospel stories for Easter Sunday and the following Sundays of Easter remind us of the struggle to understand and believe in the resurrection.  It is reassuring for us to realise that even those closest to Jesus took time to accept and believe in the resurrection.  In these Gospel pieces, the signs are there for people to see.  Mary thinks someone has taken Jesus’ body.  The disciples see the grave clothes folded up in a corner yet still struggle to understand the resurrection.  Thomas has to see the evidence with his own eyes.  Understanding comes over time.  The Gospel for the third Sunday is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  They are so downcast that they cannot even recognise Jesus when he walks along beside them on the road.  It is only finally, when he sits down and breaks bread with them, that the moment of recognition happens.  So too for us, understanding of the resurrection comes out of an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ.  We too need to understand the word of God, be nourished by the bread of life and be sensitive to the signs of new life and hope within our daily living.

Over these weeks of the Easter season take time each day to think about what has brought you life, love and hope today.  Thank God for these small signs of resurrection.