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Gospel Reflection for Monday, April 21, 2025
The Story of Jesus Didn’t Start Off Well
We love grand celebrations: crowds of people, countless celebrants, uplifting hymns, clouds of incense… Everything solemn, almost like a heavenly liturgy. But the truth is, the story didn’t begin this way.
It began, as we recalled a few months ago, in a manger—a stable or a cave. That was the palace where our Lord was born. Throughout His life, the story didn’t exactly improve. Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee, spending time with the simplest people—sinners, the sick, and the marginalized. He remained far from the centers of power and the religious elite of His time.
And the ending? That was a deafeningly bad conclusion—crucified, cast out beyond the walls of Jerusalem, the holy city. Now we hear, and we declare, that He rose again. But even then, nothing unfolded as we might expect. For starters, the first witnesses of the Resurrection weren’t the apostles—not even Peter, their leader, handpicked by Jesus Himself. No, the first witnesses were women. Some might think this commentary is riding the wave of today’s feminism. It’s not that. It’s simply that, like it or not, in Jesus’ time, a woman’s testimony carried no societal value. Plain and simple. That’s why it is all the more striking—and revolutionary—that God chose women to be the first to bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus, the cornerstone of our faith.
To complicate matters further, the priests and elders boldly and shamelessly manipulated public opinion by spreading a lie: that the disciples had stolen the body. And many still believe that to this day.
In conclusion, God’s ways transcend human understanding. The Resurrection isn’t about physical evidence or eyewitness accounts—it cannot be touched or seen. It’s about faith. We believe Jesus has risen and, in doing so, opened the door to life for all. That’s why, despite it all, it is worth continuing to fight for His kingdom. Against all odds.