The women who were at Jesus' tomb did not meet Jesus at the tomb but on the road. He told them to tell His brothers to hit the road and meet Him in Galilee (Mt 28:10). That first afternoon after His resurrection Jesus Himself was on the road for about seven miles (Lk 24:13ff). The Ethiopian eunuch was converted on "the road which goes from Jerusalem to Gaza" (Acts 8:26) and became the first  person to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Saul, who was sent on the first Christian missionary journey, was also converted on a road — the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3). Eventually, the name for what we call "Christianity" was "the Way" (see Acts 9:2; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). This can also be translated "the road."

By beginning Christianity on the road and naming it "the road," the risen Lord is making it rather obvious that He wants us on the road where we publicly and joyfully witness for Him. On this road we meet the risen Christ in ever deeper and more mysterious ways. Evangelizers and missionaries do not lose their faith as they share their faith and meet the risen Christ; rather they lose their weakness of faith. But "couch-potato" Christians see their faith in the Lord erode. Therefore, get on the road where you will meet the risen Jesus, "the Road, the Truth, and the Life" (Jn 14:6, our transl).

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Giles H. Pater, October 17, 2002

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 21, 2002