Why do you Look for the Living Among the Dead
04-05-2026Weekly ReflectionFr. Emmanuel Ogla, VCMy Dear Friends,
The Surprise of Easter – Easter does not begin with joy; it begins with confusion. This confusion is seen when Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb expecting to see the body of Jesus but does not. Peter runs with uncertainty; John follows with quiet hope. In all these, none of them woke up saying, “Today, He will rise.” And that is important because it means the Resurrection is not something they invented. It is something that completely surprised them. Easter is God’s work, and not some human drama. Reflecting on Easter, the following points give us a better understanding.
The Stone Rolled Away: God Moves First (John 20:1–9). From the Gospel reading, the first message of Easter is simple: the stone is already rolled away. Mary did not roll it away, the disciples did not plan it, but God acted before anyone understood. This is how God works in our lives too: before you begin to pray, He is already working. Before you understand your situation, He is already opening a path. Before hope rises in you, grace is already present. The empty tomb is God’s declaration: “I have already gone ahead of you.” What looks like a closed situation in your life may already be opened by God.
The Empty Tomb: When God Doesn’t Meet Human Expectations. Mary’s first reaction is not faith; it is confusion: “They have taken the Lord…” She interprets the miracle as a problem. We do the same: when life changes suddenly, we think something is wrong. When God answers differently than expected, we feel disappointed. When things fall apart, we assume God is absent. But Easter reveals something deeper: God often answers us not by restoring the old, but by creating something entirely new. Mary was looking for a dead Jesus to mourn. God was revealing a living Jesus to follow.
Peter and John: Two Ways of Responding to God. The Gospel shows two different reactions: Peter sees and is still processing; John sees and believes. Same evidence, different response. Why? Because faith is not just about seeing signs; it is about the openness of heart. John, the beloved disciple, recognizes the truth faster not because he is smarter, but because he loves more deeply. Easter teaches us: the closer your heart is to Christ, the quicker you recognize His presence.
Peter’s Transformation: From Failure to Witness (Acts 10:34–43). In the first reading of today, the same Peter who once denied Jesus now boldly proclaims Him. What changed? Not Peter’s strength, but his encounter with the Risen Christ. This is the heart of Easter: Jesus does not rise to shame us; He rises to restore us. Peter’s past did not disqualify him; rather, it became part of his testimony. So no matter your past, your failures are not final, your sins are not your identity, your story is not over. The Resurrection turns broken people into bold witnesses.
“Seek What Is Above”: Living the Resurrection (Colossians 3:1–4). Saint Paul, in the second reading, gives us the challenge of Easter: “Seek what is above…” This means: do not live like nothing has changed. Do not go back to the “old tombs” of sin and fear. Do not keep living as if Christ is still dead. Easter is not just something to believe; it is something to live. To “seek what is above” is to forgive when it is hard, choose hope when life feels heavy, and stand for truth even when it costs you. It is to live as someone who knows Life has already won.
The Personal Question of Easter. Easter is not just about Jesus; it is about you. The real question is: what tomb are you still standing beside? A tomb of fear? A tomb of past mistakes? A tomb of disappointment? A tomb of doubt? And deeper still: what “dead thing” are you still holding on to? Because the angel’s message echoes today: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Christ is not in the tomb, and He does not want you to live there either. Become an Easter person. Easter people are different because they carry hope in hopeless situations, bring light into dark places, and believe in new beginnings, because they know something the world forgets: the worst thing is never the last thing.
Rise with Christ and leave the past of pain and sorrows behind. May the Lord bless His word in our hearts.
Amen.
Fr. Emmanuel Ogla, VC
BACK TO LIST