Glorious Easter
April 9, 2023
The greatest thing that has ever happened was when God died for our sins. No greater act has ever happened, not the creation of heaven, the universe, the earth, man, or the future new heavens and new earth. Creation is something God can do with a mere thought, with no suffering, while adding to His Glory. Being crucified for the sins of others is something that God had to physically act out, with much apparent humiliation, and with great suffering. All of those things are beneath God’s dignity, yet He endured His Passion and Death to demonstrate His infinite love, which is the greatest feature of God’s Glory. The greatest manifestation of God’s Glory is not revealed in His power, which is infinite, but in His mercy, which is the most unfathomable aspect of His infinite Love.
Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. The day in which the redemption that Our Lord purchased for us through His Passion and Death, is made apparent to us in His Resurrection. The greatest thing that has ever happened or will ever happen in time or eternity, has happened and we know it because Jesus Christ rose from the dead to prove it.
Below I have attached a very brief and much abridged account of the Resurrection of Jesus as seen in the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, arguably the greatest visionary to ever live. To keep this pastor’s column to two pages, I had to cut out more than half of the vision. You can read the whole account in the book: The Life of Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich. The book is actually printed out in its entirety on the internet. We have a copy of it in the parish office too. Enjoy.
In the Risen Christ,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich on the Resurrection
I beheld the soul of Our Lord between two angels, who were in the attire of warriors: the light was bright, luminous, and resplendent as the sun at mid-day; it penetrated the rock, touched the sacred body, passed into it, and the two were instantaneously united [the light and Jesus], and became as one. I then saw the limbs move, and the body of Our Lord, being reunited to his soul and to his divinity, rise and shake off the winding-sheet: the whole of the cave was illuminated and lightsome.
At the same moment I saw a frightful monster burst from the earth underneath the Sepulchre [Christ’s tomb]. It had the tail of a serpent, and it raised its dragon head proudly as if desirous of attacking Jesus; and had likewise, if I remember correctly, a human head. But Our Lord held in his hand a white staff, to which was appended a large banner; and he placed his foot on the head of the dragon, and struck its tail three times with his staff, after which the monster disappeared. I had had this same vision many times before of the Resurrection, and I saw just such a monster, appearing to endeavor to hide itself, at the time of the Incarnation of Our Lord: it greatly resembled the serpent which tempted our first parents in Paradise, only it was more horrible. I thought that this vision had reference to the prophetic words, that by the seed of the woman the head of the serpent should be crushed (Gn 3:15), and that the whole was intended to demonstrate the victory of Our Lord over death, for at the same moment that I saw him crush the head of the monster, the tomb likewise vanished from my sight.
I then saw the glorified body of Our Lord rise up, and it passed through the hard rock as easily as if the latter had been formed of some permeable substance. The earth shook, and an angel in the garb of a warrior descended from Heaven with the speed of lightning, entered the tomb, lifted the stone, placed it on the right side, and seated himself upon it. At this tremendous sight the soldiers fell to the ground, and remained there apparently lifeless . . .
At the very moment in which the angel entered the Sepulchre and the earth quaked, I saw our Lord appear to his holy Mother on Calvary. His body was beautiful and lightsome, and its beauty was that of a celestial being. He was clothed in a large mantle, which at one moment looked dazzlingly white, as it floated through the air, waving to and fro with every breath of wind, and the next reflected a thousand brilliant colors as the sunbeams passed over it. His large open wounds shone brightly, and could be seen from a great distance: the wounds in his hands were so large that a finger might be put into them without difficulty; and rays of light proceeded from them, diverging in the direction of his fingers. The souls of the patriarchs bowed down before the Mother of Our Savior, and Jesus spoke to her concerning his Resurrection, telling her many things which I have forgotten. He showed her his wounds; and Mary prostrated to kiss his sacred feet; but He took her hand, raised her, and disappeared . . .
It was about half-past three when Our Lord appeared to Magdalen, and John and Peter entered the garden just as she was leaving it. John, who was a little in advance of Peter, stopped at the entrance of the cave and looked in. He saw the linen clothes lying on one side, and waited until Peter came up, when they entered the Sepulchre together, and saw the winding-sheet empty as has been before described. John instantly believed in the Resurrection, and they both understood clearly the words addressed to them by Jesus before His Passion, as well as the different passages in Scripture relating to that event, which had until then been incomprehensible to them. Peter put the linen clothes under his cloak, and they returned hastily into the town through the small entrance belonging to Nicodemus.
The appearance of the Holy Sepulchre was the same when the two apostles entered as when Magdalen first saw it. The two adoring angels were seated, one at the head, and the other at the extremity of the tomb, in precisely the same attitude as when his adorable body was lying there. I do not think Peter was conscious of their presence. I afterwards heard John tell the disciples of Emmaus, that when he looked into the Sepulchre he saw an angel. Perhaps he was startled by this sight, and therefore drew back and let Peter enter the Sepulchre first; but it is likewise very possible that the reason of his not mentioning the circumstance in his gospel was because humility made him anxious to conceal the fact of his having been more highly favored than Peter.
The guards at this moment began to revive, and rising, gathered up their lances, and took down the lamps, which were on the door, from whence they cast a glimmering weak light on surrounding objects. I then saw them walk hastily out of the garden in evident fear and trepidation, in the direction of the town.
In the meantime Magdalen had rejoined the holy women, and given them the account of her seeing the Lord in the garden, and of the words of the angels afterwards, whereupon they immediately related what had been seen by themselves, and Magdalen wended her way quickly to Jerusalem, while the women returned to that side of the garden where they expected to find the two apostles. Just before they reached it, Jesus appeared to them. He was clothed in a long white robe, which concealed even his hands, and said to them, All hail.’ They started with astonishment, and cast themselves at his feet; he spoke a few words, held forth his hand as if to point out something to them, and disappeared. The holy women went instantly to the Cenaculum [upper room where the apostles gathered] and told the disciples who were assembled there that they had seen the Lord; the disciples were incredulous, and would not give credence either to their account or to that of Magdalen. They treated both the one and the other as the effects of their excited imaginations; but when Peter and John entered the room and related what they likewise had seen, they knew not what to answer, and were filled with astonishment.
Peter and John soon left the Cenaculum, as the wonderful events which had taken place rendered them extremely silent and thoughtful, and before long they met James the Less and Thaddeus, who had wished to accompany them to the Sepulchre. Both James and Thaddeus were greatly overcome, for the Lord had appeared to them a short time before they met Peter and John.
