the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Explanation.
The Apostle selected the leaven as a type of the moral depravity from which the Christian community and every individual Christian should be free. Let us, therefore, purge out the old leaven of sin by true penance, that we may receive our Paschal Lamb, Jesus, in the Most Holy Eucharist with a pure heart.
GOSPEL. Mark xvi. 1-7.
At that time: Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen. And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And looking, they saw the stone rolled back: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished. Who saith to them: Be not affrighted: you seek Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified: He is risen, He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there you shall see Him, as He told you.
Why did the holy women desire to anoint the body of Jesus with sweet spices?
Out of love for Jesus. This love God rewarded by sending to them an angel, who rolled back the great stone from before the mouth of the sepulchre, comforted them, and convinced them that Christ was really risen from the dead. From this we learn that God always consoles those who seek Him. The angel sent the holy women to the disciples to console them for Christ's death, and in order that they might make known His resurrection to the world. St. Peter was specially named not only because he was the head of the apostles, but because he was sadder and more dispirited than the others on account of his denial of Our Saviour.
How did Our Saviour prove that He was really risen from the dead?
