John 20:2-8 NRSVue

2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed,

Some thoughts on this scripture

Reflection
Still celebrating the great feast of Christmas, we are invited to run with Peter and the beloved disciples to the empty tomb.

Reflection
The two disciples "saw and believed". Can I allow myself to be drawn into the same response of faith?

Reflection
They "knew" then, that Jesus was alive and would be with them forever. Looking at my life in late December 2001, can I open myself to the same reality?

Reflection
John recreates the moment when the world was suddenly changed for him. He remembers the baffling message of Mary Magdalene, the frantic Sunday morning race to the tomb, bending down to look into the dark space, seeing the burial clothes doffed and neatly arranged on the stones, allowing Simon Peter to go in first; then the awesome sense that death had met its victor.

Reflection
Lord, for me as for John, the belief in your resurrection changes life. I believe that you conquered death, and promise us the same victory. John saw and believed. I have not seen, but I live by that faith.

Reflection
John describes how the disciple saw and believed. However, John later points out that it is not enough for us to believe, we must spread the good news, as he himself did: ‘We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete’. Notice that sharing good news brings joy to the sharer as well as to the receiver. Do I experience this?