The apostles did not believe immediately in the Resurrection. As we saw earlier, their faith needed time to grow, and that this took place through contact with the Risen Jesus.
Their first reaction to him was fear. He reassured them that he was the same they had known and followed. The same who was crucified. He invited them to touch him, to eat with them.
But he was also different. He was transformed. To believe in the resurrection means to believe in this transformation, and such belief opens me up to a new life. Faith demands deeper growth. But again, that takes time and intimate contact with the Lord.
Easter joy can be ephemeral. Handel’s Alleluia is short lived. My joy is authentic only when I am convinced that I am called to be resurrected with Christ, an insight that comes by daily union with him.
When will that insight reach its perfection? On my deathbed, I suppose, with the Blessed Virgin there to help me. Meanwhile, each day I ask him to prepare me for its reception, to divest me from the obstacles and barriers I place in the way of his Easter joy.