By Antoinette (Nonie) Gutzler, M.M.
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Acts 10:34a, 37-43 | Col 3:1-4 | Jn 20:1-9
The words of the Peruvian poet César Vallejo: “when we are with the others, on the edge of an eternal morning, will all of us have eaten breakfast?” invite us into the joys and challenges of this Easter Sunday liturgy for those first witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus who were brought to the “edge of an eternal morning.”
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection through the lens of Peter’s boldness in giving witness to the life story of Jesus of Nazareth.
The Gospel gives us another lens from which to enter the Easter story. In the darkness of the first Easter morning, Mary of Magdala goes to the tomb and we hear her plaintive cry: “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” This cry has resounded through the ages – indeed, where is the Lord in troubled times? Have we been left orphans? Will we eat breakfast?
Peter, and the beloved disciple, and Mary of Magdala are facing the reality of an empty tomb, and their hearts are breaking. It is Jesus’ ensuing conversation with Mary that draws us into the drama and passion of the Easter proclamation and heals our hearts of the pain of Jesus’ disappearance from the tomb. He is now to be found in the community of disciples, bringing Easter light to those who live in the hope of the Risen Jesus and who struggle with the tragedies of our world.
One witness to the Easter hope, that we are “on the edge of an eternal morning,” is Maryknoll Sister Elsie Monge, who is passionately concerned that “all of us will have eaten breakfast.”
Sister Elsie is the director of the Ecumenical Commission for Human Rights in Ecuador and, like Peter, has a clear voice for justice as she witnesses to Jesus’ proclamation of the Reign of God for all those who are marginalized and defenseless.
Like Mary of Magdala, her ministry aims to give voice to those suffering injustice and asking, “where is the Lord?” On the edge of an eternal morning, she searches with them through the darkness for the light of God’s life so that they can craft their own destinies, and that of their families and communities, that “all will have breakfast.”
On this Easter Sunday, when the Resurrection of Jesus brings us to the “edge of an eternal morning,” our world continues to be embroiled in the darkness of wars, separated families, turmoil of every kind, and disasters of almost unimaginable proportions, by humanity’s own making. It is on this edge of eternal morning — in the midst of darkness awaiting dawn — that, we too, ask “where is the Lord?” and pledge our lives to the Gospel so that all can have breakfast.
Sister Antoinette “Nonie” Gutzler, of Brooklyn, New York, joined the Maryknoll Sisters in 1964. She has served on assignments to Tanzania, Taiwan and the United States, where she served as president of the Maryknoll Sisters from 2015 to 2021. Sister Gutzler holds a doctorate in systematic theology from Fordham University.
To read other Scripture reflections published by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, click here.
Featured image: Maryknoll Sister Elsie Monge (standing) is shown in her work as executive director of The Ecumenical Human Rights Commission (CEDHU) in Ecuador. Founded 45 years ago, this organization provides legal assistance, workshops on human rights and women’s rights, community organizing and learning activities for children. (Courtesy of Maryknoll Sisters/Ecuador)
