Acts 2:14, 22-33 Ps 16:1-2a, and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 Mt 28:8-15

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

I have always loved telling stories. When I was younger, my little sister and I had bunk beds in our shared room. When she was only 5 or 6 and I was just a little older, she would get terrible nightmares. Every night, she struggled to fall asleep. From the top bunk I’d drop my hand down and she’d reach her tiny arm up and squeeze my hand. As we fell asleep, I’d tell her a story, usually about puppies or little kids who went on big adventures. Since then I’ve loved telling and listening to stories.

I’m writing this reflection after Palm Sunday when I heard one of the greatest stories of all times told in the most beautiful ways I have ever heard it. The priest saying the Mass recited the Passion word-for-word from memory.

This reading of the Passion sparked my thoughts for all of Holy Week and the coming Easter Season. I spent some time trying to imagine what it would be like to hear the women running from the tomb tell their story for the first time. I tried to imagine how my little sister would have squeezed my hand tighter when Jesus died and shouted out in elation when she learned he was risen.

It has all the great ingredients of a good story: self-sacrifice because of unconditional love, the seeming defeat of a hero, and finally his unlikely victory.

The best part of it all is, this story is true and the self-sacrifice happened just for you.

“And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here.” ~St. Augustine