Above is a detail of The Holy Women at the Sepulcher painted by Annibale Carracci in the late 1590s AD. Annibale was known as a "painter’s painter," and his use of rich colors points to that of Rubens, while his noble forms anticipate French Classical Art of the next century. This handsome work depicts the three Marys after the Resurrection as they are shown the empty tomb by a Tintorettoesque angel. Just before this scene, as the women arrived at the tomb in the early morning, the earth shook as it were a great earthquake, and an angel of the Lord descended from heaven with a countenance like lightning and raiment as white as snow, and was still there when the women arrived. They must have been frightened at the sight of this messenger of God. But they did not run, for they were dutiful and faithful in the attendance upon their beloved Lord, even after his death. In the depicted scene, the angel tells them,

Women are God’s great vessels for the Faith, which treasure they bring to others and to men for their betterment in doing the work of the Church. The three Marys were the first among the followers of Jesus to see and hear the good news of the Resurrection, and were sent to tell the other Disciples. With them, we say:

ALLELUIA! HE IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!

He is Risen! Now, What does He Require of Thee, O Man?

We have from the Epistle reading for the third Sunday after Easter:

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. – 1 St Peter 2:11

 
St Peter gives us in this short passage of scripture some concrete advice for our daily walk with God. While we may think it rather old fashioned advice somehow more applicable to those in other ages and eras, the advice itself is particularly tailored for us, formulated to help us embrace and understand an older simpler exhortation from the prophet Micah to the Chosen People of God, which states,

"He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" – Micah 6: 8

What does the Lord require of you? Three things.

One, to be just – lawful and fair and honest in all your dealings.

Two, to love mercy, that is to embrace and practice the mercy shown you by the Lord and to show kindness.

And three, to walk humbly with God, neither straying from His voice as the Shepherd of your soul, nor allowing pride to undermine your respect and fear of His might and utter purity.

Peter's words serve as an explanation of Micah's teaching, at least as needed by those immersed in the swirl of a pagan culture, or in our case, a post-modern, neo-pagan culture. "Do justly." The heart of this effort is to "abstain from fleshly lusts" as these damage and work against the health and salvation of your soul, and prevent us from being the good examples that would help others accept Christ in the last days. You cannot do justly, if you partake of fleshly lusts, which are pleasures sought outside of their sanctified vessels (or boundaries) and away from and contrary to the love of Christ. Having sexual intimacy without the sacred bond of marriage (fornication), or adulterating a marriage by seeking sexual pleasure outside of it (adultery), are two forms of fleshly lust. So are greed, avarice, and gluttony, which drive us to lie and steal in so many ways – for example, dishonesty with our employers and families as we steal time to drink in selfish pleasures.

No one is perfect, but one's heart must constantly strive for righteousness and perfection, with a true and daily hunger for Christ, who gives us liberty – freedom from judgement under the Law (as He has fulfilled the Law absolutely). We must avoid abusing that privilege of liberty with maliciousness (the antithesis of love).

As can be seen using Micah 6:8 as a guide, we maintain that striving and thirst for righteousness by prayer (staying close to God day by day), by loving the brotherhood (staying close to Christ in each other), and by gathering together each Sunday for worship (corporately touching Christ in the eternal Presence). These practices help us walk humbly with our God, and they not only encourage us, but give us the strength to do justly and love mercy, that is, to show and live the love of Christ, which, as Paul states, "covers a multitude of sins." Amen