« The disciples had failed to understand… that he must rise from the dead. » (Jn.20:1-9)
They had been with him for three years.
They had heard him teach day in, day out.
They had seen him cure so many people, even bringing dead people back to life.
And yet… “They had failed to understand…”
Amazingly, what triggered their faith was… some linen!
Yes, linen folded lying where he had been laid in the tomb.
I find these two short mentions encouraging.
Encouraging because, somehow, they describe what is often our personal experience.
In spite of all that the Lord has already done for us, often we fail to understand…
We cannot make sense of some happenings in our lives, some events in the world.
We simply do not see why things ‘MUST’ take place as they do.
To us, it really does not make sense!
Then, suddenly, we come upon a small thing, insignificant, very ordinary – like folded linen – and surprisingly, some meaning appears that had remained hidden till then.
The tiny piece of the big jigsaw puzzle of life fits into the many awkward ‘holes’ all around!
Life – Death – Resurrection – yes, it is true: “He must rise from the dead. »
Reading the gospel text for this Sunday (Lk.9:51-62, 13th Sunday, Year C) someone could explain with a touch of humour: “This is a mixed bag!” Indeed, we find in those few verses all kinds of ideas. More than one theme is presented to our reflection: