Opposite the Tomb

Opposite the tomb of Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

Years ago, while I was serving as a parish priest in NYC, one of my parishioners lost her husband. After the funeral she would faithfully visit her beloved husband’s grave at the cemetery. She would bring a small chair with her, and sit by the headstone for hours.

I would accompany her on occasion, whenever she asked me to offer formal blessings at his burial site. But in my youth, I struggled to understand why she would remain there, just sitting, for so long afterwards.

Over time, however, I came to realize what kept her there. Not habit nor loneliness, but Love. Love that refused to walk away. Love that chose to stay present, close at hand—even when the only response to that presence was silence.

That same love appears in the Gospel. The Scriptures tell us that after the burial of Lord Jesus, “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.” (Matthew 27:61)

In front of them was a massive stone, a dark silence, a place that appeared to hold only loss. Everything they loved seemed closed behind that stone. They could have turned away and departed, like everyone else. But they chose to stay, facing the sealed grave—out of Love.

Earlier this year, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I too sat where they sat, opposite the Holy Sepulcher: the Tomb of Christ. I will never forget the stillness of that place. The quiet. The weight of history. And I thought about those women: the ones in the Gospel, and the one in my early ministry.

Many of us have been to this place in our own lives. We believe; we pray; we trust in God. Yet we feel we are staring at something closed. A relationship that seems over. A prayer that seems unanswered. A future that looks blocked. We are doing all we know to do, and still, the stone is there.

But like the women at the tomb, we stay. Sometimes that is exactly what faith asks of us: to stay in place. To stay near God, even when you don’t understand. To stay in prayer, even when you don’t yet see results. To stay hopeful, even when everything in front of you says, “It’s over.”

The women stayed, and because they stayed, they were among the first to witness God’s victory: the fulfillment of Christ’s promise that “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” They learned that waiting with God is never wasted time. Love that remains near God is always rewarded.

My friends, if you are facing a stone in your life today, do not lose heart. Do not turn away, but stay. Stay in prayer. Stay in trust. Stay close to God, even when you cannot see the outcome. Jesus showed us that Resurrection follows faithful waiting. Light follows the long night. Life has the final word.

Christ is raised from the dead!

Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ!