Mtr Mary Trainor

Cheaters never prosper.

Dear friend,

How many of us heard this in school? 

Or, sticks and stones might break my bones, but words can never hurt me.

Parents of my generation armed their children with such retorts, preparing them for the battlefield known as “recess.”

If everyone was lucky, these word armaments kept the taunters at bay, and everyone got through another day of elementary school.

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

But here’s the thing. Many of these old quips don’t contain the truth. Or there’d be a lot of pants on fire in this election cycle. Words CAN hurt us. And cheaters often prosper.

At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, we read today of the hours after the resurrection. Disciples head off to Galilee to meet the risen Lord. They will see proof of life after death with their very own eyes. There will be work to do and stories to tell.

Meanwhile, soldiers also know the truth of how that stone rolled away. And why the tomb is empty.

They run to tell the truth to their leaders. And how are they greeted? With big bonuses if they keep their mouths shut. They sell out truth for a few coins to rub together. They prosper.

Or do they?

Mtr Mary