40daysoflent

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

By Ania Majdosz

Alleluia! Christ is risen! How truly amazing it is to be able to exclaim such praises on this day.  Jesus Christ has defeated the grave.  Through His death and resurrection He provides all those who believe the greatest gift ever imagined the gift of eternal life.  Yet so many times we are like “the other disciple” we hear about in today’s gospel reading from John 20. 

After Simon Peter and “the other disciple” are approached by Mary Magdalene and are told that the tomb is empty the two disciples run in excitement to the tomb.  While they were running “the other disciple” in his eagerness arrives at the tomb first.  Now one would think that this disciple who walked side by side with the Lord would run in with full faith in the Lord, but what does he do?  He doesn’t go in.  He stops outside and won’t go in until Simon Peter goes in first. 

I think we can all relate to this “other disciple.”  I wonder what was going through his mind when he got to the tomb.  Why did he run there if he wasn’t even going to go in?  Was he scared of finding the truth?  He knew Jesus, but was he scared of coming to know Jesus as the Savior of the world?  So many times we find ourselves with the desire to come closer to Christ, but fearful of taking that next step.  If you feel as though something is missing in your relationship with Christ I challenge you during this Easter season to reflect on what it is that you are holding back from him. 

What is it that is preventing you from taking that step into the tomb?  Remember at the end of the verse “the other disciple” after seeing Simon Peter enter the tomb, decides to step in, and when he does this he sees and believes.  If you feel as though you have taken that step already that you have seen and believe I challenge you during this Easter season to be more like Simon Peter. 

Be that example to others so they too can come to know Jesus more intimately.  Take that step first so that they know there is nothing to fear for Jesus Christ is Risen!

Ania Majdosz is a junior at TCNJ.

Jumping to conclusions

By Scott Kieffer                                                                             

 

As college students we are always thinking about our future. We have most of our lives before us, and we have probably been planning and preparing for a while (which is why we are in college). Like Mary Magdalene that morning, we are moving about our lives with a plan. But just as Mary found an empty tomb, things do not always go as we planned. And just like Mary, we get upset, we fear the worst, we jump to conclusions.

 

But just because things didn’t go as planned, doesn’t mean they went badly. When Peter and the disciple arrived, they had faith that something good had happened. And once they knew the full story and could look back, they saw the positive outcomes.

We see this different outlook from the reading in Acts. Here Peter is not afraid or upset, nor is he confused anymore. He has learned the full story, and has been able to reflect on past events. In retrospect, he sees that good came from what happened at the tomb - and from Jesus’ crucifixion. He is now confident and hopeful as he looks to the future (the hope of salvation), and invites his listeners to look forward with him.

This Easter, take some time to reflect back on your time at college, as Peter does in Acts. Maybe dropping that course gave you more free time, so you could improve your relationships or learn a new hobby. You missed getting tickets for a concert, but had a great conversation with a friend instead. You had a rough breakup, but now you’ve found someone you’re in love with.

Chances are, all of the bad things that have happened in our lives have had good effects too. Whether they made us stronger, scared us away from a destructive path, or just opened up new opportunities, there was always an angel at each empty tomb.

Scott Kieffer is a senior at TCNJ and President of Catholic Campus Ministry Club of the college

Stay focused

By Maggie Molfetas

On Palm Sunday we celebrate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem a week before his=2 0death and resurrection. The streets were lined with crowds greeting him waving palm branches and covering his path with branches. After this great time of celebration, Jesus then began his journey to the cross. This was a very significant day and each of us can relate differently. I find myself relating to Palm Sunday in the following ways.

The people in the streets that were cheering and welcoming Jesus were the same people who turned against him just a few days later. I can relate to this greatly because as a college student, sometimes there are a lot of people following their faith and living a righteous life. But just as quickly as Jesus’ followers turned on him, my peers will also turn on him making bad decisions and acting in sin. It is important for me to try to encourage my friends and those around me to do their best to live a Christ centered life, and not turn on Jesus.

The other way I can relate to this is that the people’s enthusiasm and support for Jesus was in a way too good to be true. It was unrealist ic that so many people greeted and accepted him when in the past they doubted him, but Jesus did not lose sight of the reality. He remained focused on his journey and did not gloat or bask in the attention.

In everyone’s life there are highs and lows, and it is important to not get caught up in the moment, and remember that things will eventually go back to normal. In college sometimes life is going great and it’s tempting to just go right along with it and take things for granted. However I must remember to act as Jesus would in times of unrealistic highs, or even unfortunate lows, and stay focused on living my life as a good Catholic.

Maggie Molfetas is a Junior at Rider Univeristy