Lent's happy ending

Giving up candy for Lent, having ashes on your forehead on Ash Wednesday and reading about Jesus' dying on the cross: Those are all sad things about Lent. They remind us that it's a sad season, because we're remembering that Jesus died.

You might feel pretty gloomy at this time of year. In this week's Gospel (John 20:1-9), we learn that Jesus' friends sure did! They had just seen Jesus die, and they were so sad, they didn't know what to do. So three days after Jesus died, they went to visit His grave....

When Mary Magdalene got to the cave where Jesus' body had been, she saw that the stone that had blocked the entrance was rolled away. Mary ran and told Simon Peter and the other disciples, "They've taken Jesus away, and we don't know where they put Him!" The disciples ran back to the cave and saw that Jesus wasn't there. He had risen from the dead!

For Jesus' friends, this time was terrible. Jesus, their teacher, had been nailed to a cross and killed. They were scared they would be killed, too, just for following Him.

Lent might feel sad sometimes, but we know it has a happy ending. Instead of giving things up, ashes and the cross, we get to think about the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs -- and best of all, Jesus' coming back to life!

That's what Mary Magdalene found out on the first Easter. She didn't find an Easter basket full of candy, but something better: an empty cave. Jesus had promised He would rise from the dead after three days, and He really did. And that is Lent's happy ending!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, thank you for coming back on Easter! Amen.

(04-01-99)