Magna est veritas et praevalebit

This Roman proverb finds better explanation in the story of the ressurection of Jesus, “Great is the truth and it will prevail”.
The Chief Priests and elders after receiving the report of the ressurection of Jesus from the guards devised a plan to deny the ressurection . In their desperate attempt to deny the truth of the ressurection they bribed the guards to give a false report. The bribery of the guards was really a stupid way to escape the ressurection. The lie or the falsehood sponsored by the chief priests and the elders was not only awkward but implicating for the guards should the authorities take seriously the fact that they were sleeping on duty or that a corpse kept in their custody was stolen.

Among the Romans, it is unthinkable for a Roman soldier to be sleeping away on duty and more disastrous to believe that what happened did happen while they were asleep. By taking a bribe from the chief priests and elders, the soldiers continued the bribery begun by Judas iscariot. However, the ‘rich bribe’ contrasted rather strongly with the meagre thirty pieces of silver which Judas received.

It is paradoxical to say that they were asleep yet awake enough to notice that the thieves who stole the body were actually the disciples of Jesus. In other words, even if it was a few of them who were awake they would have prevented the thieves from stealing the body, let alone few timid disciples who appear helpless and forlorn.

They were so helpless that it is not possible they would have removed the body from a grave closed and sealed by a huge stone and guarded by heavy and ferocious looking Roman guards.
The crime was more pronounced or greater in those who bribed than those who were bribed.

The attempt to cover up or deny the facticity of the ressurection failed because the power of the resurrected Jesus would no longer be stopped. Even though the falsehood of the stealing of the body of Jesus is still being peddled among the Jews till today but the truth will always prevail: “Jesus, indeed has risen from the dead”.
PRAYER🙏🏿: May the resurrected Jesus bring an end to our doubts and bring healing to our troubled world. Amen
May the blessings of the Almighty God,
✝Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you now and forever, Amen
HAPPY EASTER MONDAY
REV. FR. AMBROSE OFODILE