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Tuesday – Octave – Easter
Readings: Acts 2:36-41; Jn. 20:11-18.
Reading 1 (Acts 2:36-41):
On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people,
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other Apostles,
“What are we to do, my brothers?”
Peter said to them,
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is made to you and to your children
and to all those far off,
whomever the Lord our God will call.”
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.
Gospel (Jn. 20:11-18):
Mary Magdalene 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 went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he had told her.
Written by: Fr. Anthony Dinh Minh Tien, O.P.
I. THEME: “I have seen the Lord.”
As a human being, everyone made mistakes. God knows that; therefore, He doesn’t lay hold of people’s sins. He doesn’t want people to die in their sins, but to repent and to live. The important thing is that people must recognize their sins and know how to correct them.
Today readings concentrate on to look for and to recognize the Lord. In the first reading, through St. Peter’s preaching, three thousand people recognized their sins and returned to God through their reception of Baptism. In the Gospel, Mary Magdalene who found the Lord when he was living, found him after his resurrection.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: What must we do?
1.1/ God doesn’t lay hold of people’s sins: To kill the innocence is a serious sin; to kill the Son of God who loves and cares for people is the most serious sin of all sins. St. Peter would like the Jews to recognize that they were wrong when they condemned Christ to death: “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
What shall God do with people who killed His son? This was the question which Jesus put out to his audience in the parable of the tenants who rent the vineyard to work. They answered: “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times” (Mt 21:41).
When some of the Jews recognized their sins in killing Jesus, the Son of God, they “were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?””
1.2/ You should repent and believe in the Good News: To human beings, people shall not have a second chance for the sin of killing God’s son. To God, He gives them a second chance as St. Peter declared to the Jews in today passage. They must do two things:
(1) To receive Baptism: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”
(2) To avoid the corrupt generation: Peter advised them: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” To follow God’s way, people must avoid falsity, wrong doings, and live according to the truth. It was falsity, not living according to the truth, the Jewish leaders condemned Jesus to death.
2/ Gospel: The encounter between Jesus and Mary Magdalene
2.1/ Mary Magdalene continued to search for Jesus’ body: This passage is the continuation of the passage in which she returned and announced to the apostles that somebody has taken Jesus’ body away and she didn’t know where they laid him at. After Peter and other apostle ran to the tomb and came back home, she still remained at the tomb because of her love for Jesus. She felt sorry for Jesus, not only he had gone through a painful death, but also his body was stolen.
(1) Mary saw God’s angels but didn’t recognize them: Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. 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.””
(2) Mary heard Jesus’ voice but didn’t recognize him: “When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Him. 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.””
2.2/ Mary Magdalene finally recognized Jesus.
(1) Recognizing the Lord by love: Mary recognized Jesus not by what she heard, since she heard and saw Jesus as the above passage described; but by her special love for Jesus. The author of the Fourth Gospel keenly and briefly described Jesus’ encounter with Mary as follows: “Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.” Only two persons in love can recognize the lovers’ voice. When Jesus called her name “Mary,” he wanted her to know many things which are: he is still living; he recognizes her; he understands her pain and love; and he loves her. Recognizing the lover’s voice when she was desperately looking for, there is nothing more touching and joyful, she turned her face to him. When she recognized it is Jesus, she rushed toward him, embraced his feet, and cried out with joy “Teacher!”
(2) Loving the Lord doesn’t mean to hold on to him; but to do what he wants: Mary’s act seemed to tell Jesus that “I shall not let you leave me anymore!” But 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.'”
Unlike human love, when people are in love, they want to keep their loved ones for themselves; God’s love demands people to share Him for everybody, not to keep Him as their own. People find joy when they see others to love God. Jesus wanted to tell Mary that if you love me, let many people know me. I have many more brothers and sisters whom you must bring the Good News to them.
(3) Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” and told them what he told her. Once people found and felt God’s love for them, they become a singer to sing God’s love for others to know. There is nothing in this life can attract people who possess God’s love; they shall not exchange God’s love for anything. Only this love has power to stimulate people to witness for God in the midst of sufferings, such as: scourge, prison, and even death.
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– Let search for God! He shall reveal Himself to us; but when and how are completely at His disposition.
– God is in human mind, as St. Augustine confessed: “You are inside me; but I searched for you everywhere else.”
– Once we found God, we can’t be selfish to hold on to Him; but must share Him to others so that they might find and believe in Him too.