Third Sunday of Easter
I’m sure we have all heard the saying, “This is too good to be true.” Although this phrasing may just express a feeling of pleasant surprise, perhaps it reveals something more. Bombarded by the all-too-common disappointments of life, we frequently hold a disbelieving approach to goodness in the world and we try to set our expectations low. Whenever we encounter something genuinely delightful and altogether good, our first reaction may be to doubt as we inquire, “What’s the catch?”.
If we have ever found ourselves in this state of disbelief, we are not alone. As recounted in the Gospel today, when the apostles first heard the news of the Resurrection and saw Jesus’ appearance, the initial reaction was fear and disbelief. The Apostles were “incredulous for joy,” doubting the reality of the Resurrection and seemingly saying with us, “This is too good to be true.” However, the doubt is not the end of the story. Despite their initial distrust, we know that these same apostles came to believe and become the great witnesses—witnesses even unto death—of the good news of the Resurrection.
And the core of this message and that of this Easter season is that the goodness which shown forth in the Jesus’ Resurrection is also the goodness for which we as humans were created and redeemed. In other words, when it comes to our lives, genuine goodness gets the last word. Our expectations will only be surpassed by the goodness of God, and our hope in the Lord will never disappoint if we hold fast to Christ Jesus. In the final analysis, the Resurrection was not too good to be true, but rather it was so good because it was true and it reveals to us the definitive truth of our lives as well.