Love in our hearts guide our steps

April 18, Monday, Octave of Easter
Daily Readings: Acts 2, 14: 22-33, Gospel: Matthew 28: 8-15

After the crucifixion, the women's disciples most likely did not sleep a wink. They waited for the morning to arrive. They had watched where they had laid the dead body of Jesus. It must have been a deadly, creepy night and a scary morning. However, nothing or no one could stop Mary Magdalene and her other female friends from going to the tomb. It was not the peaceful, prayerful cemetery walk we are familiar with today.

While Golgotha scenes were frighteningly blasting on their mental screens, they took the bold steps to the tomb, with unusual courage branded on their feet, because of just one fact: the love in their hearts for Jesus. Even if they had gotten a glimpse of his dead body, and if they could have poured out their passion as they prepared to anoint him, that would have sufficed.

What guided their steps was the command and control coming from their heart center. What they finally received in return will be remembered by them for eternity. They will no longer be the same women. They have become the first ambassadors of the risen Jesus, whose living legacy can be summed up in one word: LOVE.

The male disciples, too, were terrified, like everyone else. Fear in their hearts dwarfed the quality of their love. However, Jesus’ love for them remained untouched and eternal. The experienced women are told to pass on the message that they will meet up in Galilee and be all right. They are informed, thanks to the wisdom of the women who have gone before them.

You can see the result of their encounter in Peter’s words in the first reading; he spoke with authority and fearlessness, as Jesus used to do when he encountered people of disbelief. The Easter experience becomes the culmination of their hope, infused with love.

On the first day after Easter, may we choose love in our hearts to guide our steps in our daily lives!