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Gospel: 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Gustave Doré was a 19th century artist who was known for, among other things, his paintings. One day, a student of Doré brought him a painting of Jesus that he just finished. Seeking Doré’s approval, the student stood before him, awaiting the verdict.
After a long period of silence, Doré looked at him and said, “You don’t love him, or you would paint him better.”
Love transforms the way we see another person.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, a woman who undoubtedly loved Jesus.
John paints a beautiful picture of her devotion in today’s Gospel. After three dreadful days of mourning and waiting, Mary rushes to the tomb while it’s still dark outside to anoint the Lord’s body. To her absolute surprise, he’s gone.
She’s so overwhelmed with emotion, that tears flood her eyes, preventing her from realizing that first she’s speaking with angels.
Even after the Lord appears to her, Mary mistakes him for a gardener. Wondering if he took the Lord’s body, Mary asks for it back, as if she’s physically strong enough to carry him away or has a better plan for where to lay him.
While Mary’s devotion is eventually rewarded – the Lord reveals to her that he is, in fact, alive again! – it’s only a momentary consolation. “Stop holding onto me,” he says. “Go to my brothers,” tell them what you’ve seen.
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Herein we find the path of discipleship. There’s the initial search for Jesus; the encounter; then the great commission – “go forth.”
Tell others what you’ve seen.
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In what ways do we show our love for Jesus? Like Mary, how do we share the Good News, not only in word, but also in deed?
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“You don’t love him,” Doré said, “or you would paint him better.”
To the contrary, may all of our words and actions demonstrate our love for Christ today.
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Image credits: (1) Christ’s Appearance to Mary Magdalene, Alexander Ivanov (2) Ibid. (3) Quotefancy