April 3, 2018

Gospel: Jn 20:11-18
Mary stood weeping outside the tomb; and as she wept, she bent down to look inside. She saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, and the other at the feet. They said, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She answered, “Because they have taken my Lord and I don’t know where they have put him.” As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize him. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and answered him, “Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned, and said to him, “Rabboni!” – which means Master. Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them: I am ascending to my Father, who is your Father, to my God, who is your God.” So Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord, and this is what he said to me.”

Reflections
I HAVE SEEN THE LORD…
It took two thousand years before the image of Mary Magdalene was changed. She is NOT a prostitute. She was not a sinful woman. In this episode at the resurrection, her real role in salvation history has been clearly defined by Christ himself. “Go to my brothers…” And so she went and told the apostles: I HAVE SEEN THE LORD AND THIS IS WHAT HE SAID TO ME. So she is the first witness of the Resurrection. She is an apostle (person sent) to the apostles themselves. To see the Lord is not just a matter of physical
seeing. It meant spiritual seeing. In those words Magdalene expressed that she finally understood what Christ has often repeated to his apostles and disciples – that HE IS TRULY THE SON OF GOD. HE DIED AND HE ROSE AGAIN. HE SAVED US FROM OUR SIN AND IS NOW PRECEDING US TO THE FATHER TO WHOM WE SHALL ALSO ASCEND IN GOD’S GOOD TIME. That is the compendium of the GOSPEL, the good news of salvation. A woman, Mary Magdalene, as witness to the Resurrection, was the first to comprehend it and became an emissary to the apostles whose mission it was to spread it to the
whole world.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018