In the George Floyd murder trial that is garnering so much attention, the first days have seen several eyewitnesses tell what they saw the day he was killed in police custody. Many were very emotional as they testified in the courtroom. They are witnesses because they were there that day. They witness to what they saw and heard. Some say witnessing the event continues to affect them in their daily lives. The testimony these witnesses give is riveting. It moves you to hear it.
The gospels do not tell the story of the resurrection, rather they tell about those who witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. What they saw changed them and stayed with them. The witnesses tell the story and continued to do so all the rest of their lives.
All the accounts of the resurrection are similar in many ways. There is confusion and no one seems to know what happened. In today’s gospel from John, Mary Magdalene is the first witness. She does what witnesses are supposed to do, namely tell others what she experienced and in effect invite them to see for themselves. This is a template for us. As a believer, your obligation is to tell others and invite them through your words and actions to discover the risen Lord for themselves.
The second witness that day, “the disciple Jesus loves,” we presume is John, but there is evidence he might not have been John. The gospel writer wants us to be identifying with that person as well. You are the disciple Jesus loves. How does that feel? The story simply says the beloved disciple looks into the empty tomb and believes, but does not say what he believes. It adds that they did not understand Jesus had to rise from the dead. You are left asking yourself what you would believe at that moment, remembering the beloved disciple was a witness at the cross and could share with others what he saw and felt there. He had the whole story. The question would be if others would believe his testimony.
Peter is the third witness in this account. Why two disciples in John’s gospel, while it is only Peter in Luke’s gospel? The Jewish law was that the testimony of two men were needed to verify for any event to be believed. Two men are needed at the tomb. Women are not acceptable for that testimony, yet it was women who witnessed the passion, crucifixion and burial, since the men, except the beloved disciple, had fled. In reality John is telling us two men confirm what the women saw. The women were really the stronger witnesses as they saw Jesus die and be buried. Their court testimony would have been more compelling as they were there at every moment of the drama. However, it still seems, in this part of the story, everyone is puzzled at what had happened. John is leading us on to the moments when the followers of Jesus experience the risen Lord and then understand.
Peter and the other disciple run to the tomb, not understanding, yet running to the mystery to embrace it. It is a metaphor for us running on a journey to Jesus, to believe. It takes effort. It is a lifetime race.
This entire relating of what happened Easter Sunday morning is not to prove the resurrection. There is no proof that Jesus rose from the dead except for the people who were the witnesses. There was certainly no video of Jesus walking out of the tomb and no sharing of that video to go viral on Facebook! Nothing in the gospels says Jesus walked out of the tomb. What we have are several people who saw an empty tomb, and in some cases encountered someone who told them Jesus was alive. The others experienced him in an intense way, some numerous times after the resurrection, which changed everything for them. They grew day by day into a stronger faith in the risen Jesus. They then lived the rest of their lives as witnesses, testifying to all who would listen that Jesus died, rose and is alive. They lived those lives as witnesses very intensely, being criticized, made fun of, treated badly and in many cases being killed for their testimony. That is truly a witness! Tell the truth at any and all costs.
It is sad that last year we did not have Holy Week services to attend at churches. This year the services are limited in what happens. Mostly people attending are asked to stay in their place with their mask on, maintaining a little less social distance. Yet, traditionally the services this week are designed to have us enter into the gospel, to walk through it literally. Each service, Palm Sunday procession with palms, Thursday with foot washing, Friday with following Jesus in the passion through the stations, kissing his feet while he is on the cross, then in the Pesame, processing and anointing the body and finally burying it while sharing sympathy with Mary, all these are moments to enter with your body, mind and spirit . Each action is you entering into the story so that you relive the original moment. You then can say, “I was there. I saw it. I want to tell you about it.” You are now a witness.
No one can ever prove to you that Jesus rose from the dead. Rather, those who truly believe this can show you with their commitment to live a life based on Jesus’ teachings and actions. They can show you that Jesus is alive today in how they treat you and others, especially those most in need. Those many volunteers who are now going to help the thousand unaccompanied migrant adolescent boys housed at the county coliseum exhibition hall are the testimony. The gospel story is not for us to understand, rather it is for us to believe and live.
This past year with Covid things seemed so dark, so hopeless. Death and sickness were everywhere. Desperate needs were evident in the lives of so many. Long, difficult even dangerous hours of work tested the strength of those dedicated to keeping us all alive and functioning. When all seems lost, there is the risen Lord in the faces and bodies of others who help us in many ways, big and small. That is what it means to be Easter people.
When I was in the seminary, I remember there was a question once asked at one of our retreats. It went like this: “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
You may never be a witness in a trial. However, by Baptism you are called to be an active witness in word and action, proclaiming Jesus is alive. You know it and you say it because you were there.
Fr. David Garcia is a retired priest from the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, where he served for 44 years. During that time, Fr. Garcia was instrumental in the effort to have the Old Spanish Missions recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also oversaw the multimillion-dollar restoration of San Fernando Cathedral. Fr. David served as pastor for several parishes in San Antonio, including the historic Mission Concepción. He also served as Senior Advisor for Clergy Outreach at Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian and relief agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.