The chief priests gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say ‘his disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

It’s not so much the lie, nor is it the willingness to take money to perpetuate the lie. It’s the smug conviction that you can get so many people to buy the lie… That you can get away with it, if you spread enough money around… That people will swear to the lie if you play to their fears… That people will be convinced of the lie if they want it to be true.

“Those who engineer Jesus’ execution now concoct a plan to discredit the story of the empty tomb,” says Father Jerry in today’s homily above. He adds that, “Easter is centered in the assurance that the truth will always win out.”