"And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it." (Matthew 28:2)

The stone was rolled away, the stone that had been placed there at the mouth of the cave – the stone that had been sealed – the stone that had been watched by a contingent of guards – the stone that was meant to make sure that Jesus stayed dead. The stone was rolled away – not to allow Jesus to come forth from the tomb – he was already gone, that Father had already raised him from death to life. No, the stone was rolled away so that the women could see, so that we could see - see that the victory had already been won.

The victory has been won – death has been conquered – and yet there are still stones in our lives, in our world that seek to hide that truth from us, that seek to make us doubt what the Father did on that first Easter morn, to doubt what the Father is doing even now in our lives.

For each of us the stones are different, uniquely ours, and yet they are often very much alike.

For some the stone is our doubt about whether the world can ever be a place of peace and justice. With the daily news of insurgent attacks in Iraq, or unrest in Kyrgyzstan, or the shooting in Red Lake, we could well be tempted to doubt. The 25^th anniversary this past Thursday of the assassination of Archbishop Romero or the 37^th anniversary in a week of the assassination of Marling Luther King may serve to remind us that, in spite of all the progress we have made in 25 or 37 years, we still have a ways to go to realize the dreams of either of those martyrs.

For others the stone of doubt is that sense that the world is simply too complicated, too difficult for us. We look at a situation like that of Terri Schiavo, her husband, her parents, her siblings – and all those others who for their own reasons have become involved – we look at that and wonder what’s right and, perhaps, wish that there was one with the wisdom of Solomon to sort it all out.

For others the stone of doubt is our sorrow over the loss of someone we loved. How, we may ask, could a loving God allow that one to die?  And how, we wonder, will we ever cope without that beloved person?

For others the stone of doubt is doubt about ourselves. We know our sins, our failures, our prejudices, our pettiness, the grudges that we simply can’t let go. We know them and may wonder if God really does love us, for we often have trouble loving ourselves.

It is these stones – and so many others – that try to keep us from seeing the truth, the incredible truth of Easter. Death is conquered – we are free. It is news that is good beyond hope.

On that first Easter morn the women came to perform, as women have all through the ages, to perform that final act of love for one they loved. And their love was rewarded, for they were the first to hear the news - “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’”

Good beyond hope in deed.

And as they went, who would they meet upon the way, but Jesus himself. And here there is more good news – perhaps you didn’t notice it. The message of the angel was “tell his disciples,” but when Jesus spoke, it was “go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

What wondrous love is this that Jesus would claim us sinners as his brothers and sisters, as beloved children of the Father.

But there is one more piece of news that we hear on this Easter morn. It will do us no good to linger. We must be on our way. Jesus will meet us as we go about the business of living, the business of discipleship. The tasks that are ours to do, the challenges we face, may seem insurmountable. Going to tell the disciples in their sorrow and confusion the good news of resurrection must have seemed an impossible task to the Marys on that first Easter – and yet they went. However great the challenges, however insurmountable the obstacles that lie along the way – Jesus will meet as we go to share the good news of Easter. Jesus will meet us as we share his love – as he did – with the least, the lost and the lost. Jesus will meet us – we need not be afraid – Jesus will meet us and love us and strengthen us for whatever my lie ahead. Jesus will be there to pick us up when we fall, to forgive us when we sin, to heal our hearts when they break – as in deed they will, just as his broke. Jesus will be there, our brother and our risen Lord.

Let no stone keep us from seeing and knowing and rejoicing in this Easter victory.

Alleluia, Christ is risen!