Year: 2024

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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 19^th 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

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Gospel: Mark 6:30-34

The apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught. 
He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” 
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat. 
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. 
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. 
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Summer is here! Some days, doesn’t the heat feel oppressive? It does to me, certainly when the only color I’m wearing aside from black is the white tab in my collar.

But with this sultry weather also comes the opportunity to bathe in the sun, to dip in the ocean, to read a good book at the beach.

It’s what we do when summer comes: we travel, take a long-awaited vacation, or at least a Friday off and journey down the shore.

While the demands placed upon us might never seem to end, there’s also the understanding that we’re only human; sometimes we all need to rest.

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A brisk reading of the Gospels would make it seem like Jesus never did, as if he were a workaholic, tightly packing his schedule with sharing the Good News, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and bringing the dead back to life.

The overachiever in me clings to this image of a “workaholic” Lord, as if it sanctifies my own busyness, giving me an excuse to never stop.

The Lord did live with a sense of urgency; he knew his three-year ministry was coming to an end. There was so much to do, and so little time.

Yet, today’s Gospel provides us with a different image of Jesus. Not a “workaholic” Lord, but one who invites his disciples to rest. “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while,” he says.

I’m sure the disciples were hesitant at first. What could be more important than Jesus’ ministry of healing and his message of salvation? People were depending upon him!

Eight centuries prior, the prophet Isaiah foresaw this day. Isaiah prophesied that, when the Messiah comes, the blind will see; the deaf will hear; the lame will walk; and the mute will speak.

Jesus was performing all of these miracles. Even the disciples themselves were performing miracles in Christ’s name.

With all of this divine momentum snowballing, why stop? Why not rest later? 

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Because there was one thing that was as important to Jesus as performing good works: forming his disciples.

Soon enough, the students will become the teachers; the followers will become the leaders; the sheep will become the shepherds; the crowds will become their flock.

Christ is preparing to hand his ministry over to them, his often imperfect, workaholic disciples. They need this time away in order to discover Jesus; to learn more about who he is, not just what he can do. 

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Specifically, they need to process.

A lot has happened over the last few weeks. 

In this single chapter of Mark’s Gospel – chapter 6 – the Lord was rejected in his hometown; the disciples went on their first missionary journey; John the Baptist was beheaded by King Herod; and Jesus fed a crowd of five-thousand with five loaves and two fish.

That’s a lot to take in: rejection, missionary work, death, and miracles.

If the disciples act as busybodies, idolizing their work and never taking time to reflect, then they’ll lose the bigger picture. The Good News is about more than healing; it’s about salvation.

Rest will help them process this reality.

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Rest will also revitalize the Lord and his disciples. 

If the Apostles never pause, ponder, and pray, then they’ll burn out. What type of foundation would that be for the Church – a bunch of burnt-out fishermen?

The same is true for us. What good are we if we’re tired, over-worked, and stretched too thin? Maybe a lot has happened in our lives over the last year.

“So, come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest for a while,” the Lord says today. 

Make time to ponder and pray.

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Where is my “deserted place”? Where and when do I rest with the Lord? 

Do I rest with Jesus?

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Summer is finally here. With it not only comes the opportunity to steal a day away, to read a good book, or to dip in the ocean. It also brings the chance to spend quality time with the Lord, reflecting on our spiritual journey. 

“Come away and rest,” he says.

What might that look like for me?

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Image credits: (1) Adobe Stock (2) Scientific American (3) Upside-Down Savior

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Gospel: Matthew 12: 1-8

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
“See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”
He said to the them, “Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In Jesus’ day, strict adherents to the Law followed more than 600 rules. (A small change from the 10 Commandments first given to Moses by God!) 

Many of these rules applied to the Sabbath – in particular, what was and wasn’t permitted –reaching down to the granular. 

For example, it was not only forbidden to “work” on the Sabbath; you could not even think about work. Try doing that for a day – not even thinking about returning emails, phone calls, or text messages.

For me? Impossible.

While the Jews’ intention was to set boundaries around a holy day, allowing people to rest and to worship God, many followed the Law not out of love, but out of fear that God would punish them if they didn’t.

Is fear really the best foundation for encountering God?

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In today’s Gospel, the disciples have violated the Sabbath by plucking grains of wheat, which was considered an act of work.

But Jesus defends them against the Pharisees, saying, essentially, “They’re hungry!” In the Lord’s eyes, satisfying human hunger was more important than following a set of rules. 

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What might this mean for us today?

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Many religions are built upon rules. Do this… don’t do that. While they can be helpful guidelines towards encountering the Divine, they should always lead us further along the path of mercy and love.

If they do the opposite, creating a type of fear in us, what good are they?

Secondly, it seems the Lord permits the breaking of rules – like the disciples “working” on the Sabbath – if doing so eases human suffering.

In his words, “Love (not fear) fulfills the Law.”

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Image credits: (1) Ministry of the Watchman International (2) CarelinksMinistries, YouTube (3) Portsmouth Abbey Monastery