The Gospel according to John (20:1-2, 11-18)
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he told her.
Reflection:
Here is an example of stable fidelity. Mary Magdalene was blessed with the gift of having Jesus appear to her, after being resurrected from the dead, and sent her to be an apostle to the Apostles. He sent her to go to the Apostles to tell them that Jesus had risen and that He was preparing to go to His Father in Heaven.
There are interesting nuances that was present in this scripture that doesn’t necessarily talk about it. For example, Mary and her commitment to her faith and especially for her love to Jesus was willing to walk to the tomb in the dark. Now this wasn’t a walk around the block, it was quite a walk in a cold and dangerous desert, and she was in unfamiliar territory. To her amazement upon arrival, she found the stone which was massive in weight and size was moved. This stone required multiple people to move it and couldn’t be moved from the inside. You have to remember that she made three trips to the tomb that morning. The initial trip: the trip back to tell the Apostles that someone took Jesus; and the second trip back to the tomb to witness His Resurrection. This is when she experienced the Master (Roubbouni). She was blessed with the Grace of God and Jesus that He has risen. This small encounter with Christ just made her belief even stronger. She became an Apostle for Jesus Christ who was to spread “The Word” to the other Apostles.
Sisters and Brothers, this is what our faith is all about. It’s about seeking assurance and the truth so we can spread the “Word” by example. By us sinners, being the Apostles of Christ and spreading his love with honor and excellence. It’s about creating this ripple effect of love that the next person imitates what you’re doing, and the ripple gets bigger and bigger.
Think about the holy soul of this woman. She was a repentant sinner who turned her whole life around. She devoted everything to Jesus and, in return, received even more. In Heaven, Mary Magdalene will forever cling to Jesus and adore His Sacred Heart. And we are capable of doing the same here on earth. May we all strive to imitate her by turning from our own life of sin and becoming unwaveringly faithful to our Lord.
Action of the Day: Is your tomb half empty or full? Are we living in the past and wondering about the future and not even living in the present moment?
Audio Reflection:
