Rolling back the stone and going for freedom

(To the Sources)

‘…He is not here; he has risen…’ (Matt 28:6)

From Matthew 28:1-10 (Year A: Easter Sunday)

For people held in captivity and who have been suddenly released, freedom can be a daunting prospect. Adaptation takes time. Reconditioning may be necessary. This may be captured in a few lines of a poem by Gerald McFlynn.

‘On the morning of the third day I went to the tomb and rolled back the stone. Out came the poor and destitute, the prisoners, Travellers.. the old and forgotten… blinking in the sunlight all ready for a new birth’

Christ came that people may be free. However, nowadays Christ needs helpers to roll back some heavy stones. We might even find ourselves on the inside of the stone in need of pushing it out.

Easter signals a social liberation as well as a personal one. The two go hand in hand.