I love the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Maybe it is because the people in them always start off with worry and disbelief and end up with unshakeable faith.

The Gospels recount this transformation in story after story. The women bringing spices to the tomb are anxious about how they would roll away the stone, only to find an angel sitting on it. Mary Magdalene asks the gardener if he knows where the body of Jesus is, only to discover that Lord is alive and speaking with her. Peter and John run to the tomb not quite sure whether they should believe Mary Magdalene's report, only to find it empty and the shroud and napkin that covered the dead body of Jesus cast aside. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus are blinded by disillusionment and loss, only to discover that the stranger who had joined them on the way is Jesus. Thomas professes complete disbelief, only to fall to his knees when Jesus appears once again in the Upper Room.

What moves each of these people to faith? Proof does. Not the kind of proof we use in mathematical formulas or laboratory experiments, but the kind that makes us question our reticence, refusal, or inability to believe. It's the kind of proof that, over a period of time, leads us to conclude that someone is trustworthy, even if what they are saying sounds unimaginable or beyond belief. It's the kind of proof that draws us to believe in someone more than in something.

The Resurrection proves that God is worthy of our trust no matter what. The life we've known may be dead and buried; the people we've loved may be lost to us; the things we've believed may be shattered: God remains worthy of our trust. He, and he alone. We experience the truth of this when we fully consider the path Jesus chose to take. He didn't arrive on the scene with signs and wonders so that he would be acclaimed king. Instead, he stumbled up the way of sorrows, carrying a cross, the instrument of his death on his own shoulders. He meant it when he prayed, "Not my will, but thine be done."

It isn't easy to trust God. It's even harder when we have plans of our own, or when we just can't bring ourselves to let go of control long enough to experience the freedom that comes along with faith. Jesus shows us what trusting God looks like. It's a total and sacrificial gift of self. It's a fiat backed by flesh and blood and bone.

In the midst of everything that is hard about faith, God gives us his word. I think he does that so that we can tell when he keeps it. And he always does. Do not fear, the Risen Christ will meet you where you are. He will show up at the tomb, along the way of hopelessness, where and when you were unequivocally certain he would never come. He will roll away every stone and call you by name. And he will do all these things because he is trustworthy.

You can trust God with anything. You can trust God with everything. And you can trust him more than you can trust anyone else -- even yourself. You can trust him with the life he died to give you. God will never disappoint. He will never abandon you. He will never mislead you. Remember, the stone is rolled away. The tomb is empty. Jesus is risen. The Lord is risen indeed.



- Jaymie Stuart Wolfe is a Catholic convert, wife, and mother of eight. Inspired by the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales, she is an author, speaker, and musician, and serves as a senior editor at Ave Maria Press. Find Jaymie on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @YouFeedThem.