Easter (2026)

By Fr. Scott Archer
April 5, 2026

“He is risen” (Mk. 16:6).

On that first Easter morning, the holy women came to the tomb of Our Lord.

Mary Magdalen, Mary of Clopas, and the other women from Galilee had watched carefully where the body of Jesus had been laid. After His burial they returned to the city to prepare spices and ointments, intending to come again and anoint His sacred body. However, they first rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Meanwhile the chief priests, still filled with fear and malice, went to Pontius Pilate. They asked that the tomb be guarded, lest the disciples steal away the body and claim that Christ had risen. Pilate granted their request, and soldiers were placed at the tomb.

Yet all of this could not prevent what God had decreed.

Early on Sunday morning Mary Magdalen came to the tomb—perhaps even before the others had arrived—and she saw that the stone had already been rolled away. The body of Our Lord was gone. Without yet meeting the other women who would arrive later, she ran to make this known to Peter, the head of the Apostles.

This is more than an historical account. In many ways it mirrors the journey of the soul to God.

The sinner seeks Christ as Mary Magdalen once did. At first, perhaps, without fully understanding where the search will lead. But the words and deeds of Our Lord begin to stir the heart. A holy fear of God awakens within the soul. Sin becomes hateful, and the heart begins to desire the love and mercy of Christ—above all the love shown in His atoning death upon the Cross.

Thus, the sinner is led to repentance, and through Baptism, the soul is incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Catholic Church. In that sacred washing the sinner dies with Christ and rises with Him. The old life of sin is left behind.

Just as the risen Christ left behind the burial cloths in the tomb, so too must the Christian leave behind the old garments of sin.

This is the beginning of a new life in Christ—a life nourished by His grace in the sacraments that strives for virtue. Those virtues are like the sweet spices the holy women carried to the tomb—offerings of love brought to Our Lord.

If we persevere in that life of virtue, if we remain steadfast in the true faith that has been handed down to us, then we too shall share fully in the victory of Christ. The Resurrection of Our Lord is not only His triumph over death—it is the promise of resurrection for those who belong to Him.

Therefore, like the holy women and like the Apostles, let us behold the risen Christ. The same Christ who conquered death is still with us—truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar. Bearing witness to His resurrection, let us carry those sweet spices of virtue—faith, hope, charity, humility, and perseverance—so that one day we may rise and live with Him forever in the glory of heaven.