The 6 Appearances on Easter Sunday

For Christians, Easter Sunday is the “feast of feasts,” because we celebrate the glorious Resurrection of Our Lord. On this day, Jesus’ earthly mission reaches its culmination, because through his Resurrection he has definitively conquered death and sin. Death no longer has the last word. Through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has saved us from condemnation and opened the gates of Paradise. In this way, the Resurrection confirms the divine nature of our Redeemer.

The Resurrection is a historical, verifiable fact. It was attested by the disciples and by the women who found the empty tomb. Saint Paul teaches:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain, and your sins have not been forgiven. (1 Cor 15:14, 17b)

Faith in the Resurrection was what gave the Apostles the strength to proclaim the Good News despite persecution. And this same faith also moved the martyrs to give their lives for the Lord. The Church’s 2,000 years of history and survival are more than evident proof of this truth.

And to prove that he truly had risen, Jesus appeared to many on Easter Sunday. Saint Paul states:

I handed on to you, as of first importance, what I myself received: Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures. He was buried and was raised on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures. He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, and then again to all the Apostles. Last of all, he appeared also to me, as to one born abnormally. (1 Cor 15:4–8)

Did you know the Gospel recounts five appearances of Jesus on Easter Sunday? And that some saints speak of a sixth appearance? Keep reading this post to learn more.

Appearances of Jesus on Easter Sunday

1. To the Blessed Virgin Mary

Although it is not written in the Gospel, many saints have affirmed that the first person to whom Jesus appeared after rising from the dead was his Most Holy Mother. And this makes sense, because surely the Lord would have wanted first of all to comfort his Mother, who had suffered terribly at his death.

Mystics, such as Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, describe this encounter:

While the Most Holy Virgin was praying inwardly, filled with an ardent desire to see Jesus, an angel came and told her to go to Nicodemus’ small door, because Our Lord was near. Mary’s heart was flooded with joy; she wrapped herself in her mantle and went off, leaving the holy women there without saying anything to anyone. I saw her hurry toward the small gate of the city through which she had entered with her companions on returning from the sepulcher.

She walked with hurried steps when I saw her suddenly stop in a lonely place. She looked up at the top of the city wall, and the soul of Our Lord, shining, came down to his Mother, accompanied by a multitude of souls and patriarchs. Jesus, turning toward them, said: “Behold Mary, behold my Mother.” He seemed to give her a kiss and then disappeared.

At the very moment an angel was entering the sepulcher and the earth was trembling, I saw Our Risen Lord appearing to his Mother on Calvary; he was beautiful and radiant. His garment, which looked like a chalice, floated behind him; it was a bluish white, like smoke seen in sunlight. His wounds shone, and one could see through the holes in his hands. Bright rays came from the tips of his fingers.

The souls of the patriarchs bowed before the Mother of Jesus. The Savior showed his wounds to his Mother, who knelt to kiss his feet, but he lifted her up and disappeared. Torchlights could be seen in the distance near the sepulcher, and the horizon was brightening to the east, above Jerusalem.

The Holy Virgin fell to her knees and kissed the place where her Son had appeared. It must have been around nine o’clock at night. Her knees and feet were left marked on the stone. The vision she had had filled her with indescribable joy. And she returned comforted to the holy women, whom she found busy preparing ointments and perfumes. She did not tell them what she had seen, but her strength had been renewed; she consoled the others and strengthened them in their faith.

2. To Mary Magdalene

This was the first appearance on Easter morning near the tomb. Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb at dawn, while it was still dark, and found that the stone had been moved.

She ran to meet Simon Peter and John to tell them that they had taken the Lord’s body and that they did not know where they had put him. Both Apostles went to the tomb and saw the scene.

But they still had not understood that Christ had to rise from the dead, and so they returned home. Saint John recounts:

Mary stayed outside, weeping beside the tomb. As she wept, she leaned into the tomb and saw two angels dressed in white, seated one at the head and one at the feet where Jesus’ body had been laid.

They said to her, «Woman, why are you weeping?». Mary answered, «Because they have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him».

After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize him. Jesus asked her, «Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?». Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, «Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him».

Jesus said to her, «Mary!». She recognized him and said to him in Hebrew, «Rabboni!», which means «Teacher!».

Jesus said to her, «Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them: «I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God»».

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her. (Jn 20:11–18)

3. To the Holy Women

Jesus met them as they were leaving the tomb to bring the news to the disciples. Saint Matthew recounts it this way:

After the sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone from the tomb, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his garment was white as snow. When they saw him, the guards trembled with fear and became like dead men.

The Angel said to the women, «Do not be afraid; I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come and see the place where he lay, and then go quickly and tell his disciples: «He has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him». That is what I had to tell you».

So the women, frightened yet filled with joy, ran quickly away from the tomb and went to bring his disciples word. And suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them, saying, «Rejoice». They came up, took hold of his feet, and bowed down before him.

Then Jesus said to them, «Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me». (Mt 28:1–10)

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4. To Simon Peter

Jesus appeared to Peter before the rest of the Twelve. This encounter is not described in detail, but it is attested by the disciples.

«It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon!». (Lk 28:34b)

5. To the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus

In the evening, Jesus appeared to the disciples who were on their way to Emmaus:

That same day, two of the disciples were going to a small village called Emmaus, about ten kilometers from Jerusalem. On the way they were talking about what had happened.

While they were talking and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them, but something kept their eyes from recognizing him. He asked them, «What are you discussing as you walk along?». They stopped, looking downcast, and one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, «Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know what has happened there in these days?». «What things?», he asked them.

They said to him, «The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

What is more, some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb early in the morning and, not finding his body, came back saying they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he is alive. Some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see».

Then Jesus said to them, «How slow you are to understand, how hard it is for you to believe all that the prophets proclaimed! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and so enter into his glory?». Then, beginning with Moses and going through all the Scriptures, he explained to them what referred to him.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on. But they urged him, «Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over». So he went in to stay with them. While he was at table with them, he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.

They said to each other, «Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?».

At that very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them gathered together, who were saying, «It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon!». Then they told what had happened on the road and how they had recognized him in the breaking of the bread. (Lk 24:13–35)

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6. To the Twelve Apostles, Without Thomas

Late that night, while the disciples from Emmaus were recounting what had happened, Jesus came and stood among them, as they were gathered behind locked doors in Jerusalem for fear of the Jews.

On the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors of the place where the disciples were were locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said, «Peace be with you!». As he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, «Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you». After saying this, he breathed on them and said, «Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained».

Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, «We have seen the Lord!». But he replied, «Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the nail marks and my hand into his side, I will not believe». (Jn 20:19–25)

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Easter Sunday Homily by Benedict XVI

Dear brothers and sisters:

«Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed» (1 Cor 5,7). On this day, we hear again the exclamation of Saint Paul that we listened to in the second reading, taken from the First Letter to the Corinthians. A text that dates back barely twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus and that, nevertheless, contains—in an impressive synthesis, as is typical of certain Pauline expressions—the full awareness of Christian newness.

The central symbol of the history of salvation—the paschal lamb—is identified here with Jesus, called precisely «our Passover». The Jewish Passover, a memorial of liberation from slavery in Egypt, prescribed the rite of sacrificing the lamb, one lamb per family, according to the Mosaic law. In his passion and death, Jesus reveals himself as the Lamb of God «sacrificed» on the cross to take away the sins of the world; he was put to death precisely at the hour when it was customary to sacrifice the lambs in the Temple of Jerusalem.

The meaning of this sacrifice of his, he himself had anticipated during the Last Supper, putting himself in the place—under the species of bread and wine—of the ritual elements of the Passover meal. Thus, we can say that Jesus truly brought the tradition of the ancient Passover to fulfillment and transformed it into his Passover.

From this new meaning of the paschal feast, we also understand Saint Paul’s interpretation of the «unleavened bread». The Apostle refers to an ancient Jewish custom whereby, at Passover, the house had to be cleaned of even the crumbs of leavened bread. This was part of the remembrance of what happened to the ancestors at the time of their flight from Egypt: having to leave the country in great haste, they took with them only unleavened bread.

But at the same time, «unleavened bread» was a symbol of purification: removing the old to make room for the new. Now, as Saint Paul explains, this ancient tradition also takes on a new meaning, precisely in light of the new «exodus» that is Jesus’ passage from death to eternal life.

And since Christ, as the true Lamb, has sacrificed himself for us, we too, his disciples—thanks to him and through him—can and must be «a new batch», «unleavened», free of every remnant of the old leaven of sin: no more malice and wickedness in our heart.

«Therefore, let us celebrate the Passover… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth». This exhortation of Saint Paul, with which the brief reading proclaimed a little while ago concludes, resounds even more intensely in the context of the Year of Saint Paul.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us welcome the Apostle’s invitation; let us open our hearts to Christ, dead and risen, so that he may renew us, cleanse us of the poison of sin and death, and infuse us with the life-giving sap of the Holy Spirit: divine and eternal life.

In the Easter sequence, as echoing the words of the Apostle, we sang: «Scimus Christum surrexisse / a mortuis vere» —we know that you have risen; death has no power over you. Yes, this is precisely the central core of our profession of faith; this is today the cry of victory that unites us all. And if Jesus has risen, and therefore is alive, who will ever be able to separate us from him? Who can deprive us of his love that has conquered hatred and defeated death?

May the Easter proclamation spread throughout the world with the joyful song of the alleluia. Let us sing it with our lips, but above all with our hearts and with our lives, with an «unleavened» way of life—simple, humble, and fruitful in good works. «Surrexit Christus spes mea: / precedet vos in Galileam» — Truly my hope has risen! Come to Galilee, the Lord awaits you there. The Risen One goes before us and accompanies us on the paths of the world. He is our hope; he is the true peace of the world. Amen.

Do you want to live Holy Week with devotion? Here are some articles that may help you do so:

• Holy Week timeline: Discover what Holy Week is, what is celebrated each day, and how to live the Paschal Triduum according to the Catholic Church. A clear, complete guide.
  
• The 3 Pillars of Palm Sunday: What is the Palm Sunday liturgy like? Explore its 3 pillars: the blessing of palms, the procession, and the Passion narrative.
• What Did Jesus Do on Holy Monday?: Let’s follow in the Redeemer’s footsteps. Let us reflect on what he did on Holy Monday.
• What is celebrated on Holy Tuesday?: Let us contemplate the events of Holy Tuesday: the announcement of Peter’s denial and Judas’ betrayal.
  
• What does the Bible say about Holy Wednesday?: Want to know what happened on Holy Wednesday? Read the Gospel and reflect with St. Augustine.
• What is the Good Friday Liturgy like?: In this post, we explain each moment of the Liturgy of the Passion step by step.