Suy niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Ba Phục Sinh (John 20:11-18- )
Sự kiện Chúa Kitô Phục sinh theo như kinh nghiệm của cô Maria Magdalene rất quan trọng. Chúng ta có thể tưởng tượng nếu như cô Maria Magdalene không ra mộ viếng Chúa? Chúng ta có thể hình dung nếu như sau khi không thấy Chúa trong mộ, Cô Maria không để ý đến những lời các thiên thần nói với cô ta? Hay chúng ta có thể mường tượng nếu cô ta không chạy đi tìm các tông đồ để nói với họ những gì đã xảy ra? Sự phục sinh không chỉ là một sự kiện lịch sử, nhưng đó là một kinh nghiệm cần phải được rao giảng và phải được truyền đi từ thế hệ này sang thế hệ khác. Tất cả chúng ta đượcmời gọi để rao truyền những kinh nghiệm về cuộc sống lại của Chúa Kitô này cho những người khác. Chúng ta không thể gọi mình là Kitô hữu, nếu như chúng ta chưa trải nghiệm được sự phục sinh của Chúa Kitô trong cuộc sống của chúng ta.
Trong những giây phút tuyệt vọng, hay trong những nỗi thất vọng, đau khổ nhất trong cuộc đời của chúng ta, có thể ngay cả trong cái chết của người thân yêu trong gia đình, là Kitô hữu chúng ta có những kinh nghiệm quen thuộc về sự can thiệp của Chúa Kitô và sự sống lại của Ngài đã mang chúng ta ra “ngôi mộ” của Chúa và biến đổi sự đau khổ của chúng ta thành những niềm tin và Hy vọng. Niềm tin này đem chúng ta đến sự vui mừng trong Chúa Kitô, Đấng mà thực sự đã sống lại.
Chúng ta hãy tự kiểm tra cuộc sống của chúng ta, Chúng ta nhìn lại xem có khi nào chúng ta trải nghiệm được sự sống lại của Chúa Kitô trong chúng ta, Chúng ta đã thật sự tìm thấy Chúa Kitô? Chúng ta đã nhận ra Chúa khi đang hiện diện nơi chúng ta?
The event of the resurrection as experienced by Mary Magdalene is very important. Can we imagine if she did not even go looking for the Lord? Can we imagine if after not finding the Lord, she would not pay heed to what the angels told her? Can we imagine if she would not have gone to the apostles to tell them what had happened? The resurrection is not only a historical event; it is an experience that needs to be transmitted from generation to generation. We are all invited to pass this experience of the resurrection to others. We cannot call ourselves Christian, if we have not experienced the resurrection of Christ in our own lives. In moments of despair, during our deepest frustrations, perhaps even during the death of a loved one, we as Christians have experience Christ's intervention and resurrection which brings us out of the tomb and transforms our misery to a faith that enjoins us to Christ who is truly risen. Let us examine our lives, looking back, when did we experience the Lord's resurrection in us? Did we search for him? Did we recognize him?
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.’” John 20:17
Mary of Magdala was one of the first persons to whom Jesus appeared. She was deeply devoted to Him, especially because of the great mercy He offered her when He forgave her manifest sins and expelled seven demons from her. After He had done that, Mary became a devout follower and was one of the few who remained faithful to Him, even as He hung upon the Cross.
On the first day of the week, the Sunday after the Crucifixion, Mary came to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body in accord with Jewish custom. But when she arrived, Jesus’ body was gone. And when Jesus appeared to her as she was weeping, she didn’t immediately recognize Him, for He had His new glorified body. But when Jesus spoke her name, Mary, she recognized Him. But rather than embracing her, Jesus said, “Stop holding on to me…” Why would Jesus say this?
Even though Mary’s attachment and devotion to Jesus was beautiful and holy, it wasn’t yet perfected. She wanted her Lord Whom she had come to know and followed. She wanted her former relationship with Jesus to be returned to her. But for this reason, Jesus said, “Stop holding on to me…” Jesus wanted much more. He was telling her that her relationship with Him was soon to change for the better. No longer would He simply be her earthly companion; instead, He would soon live within her, dwell within her very heart, become one with her, and be her Bridegroom for eternity. But this could only happen once Jesus ascended to the Father in Heaven to complete His divine mission of salvation.
At times, we also seek favors from our Lord that are purely temporal. Though we do need to trust Him for “our daily bread,” meaning, for all the basic necessities of life, we must realize that the gifts God wants to give us far surpass anything in this world. The supernatural gift of grace, the gift of the Indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity, the gift of oneness with our Lord is what we are made for and is the end goal and desire of our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon these words Jesus spoke to Mary: “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” But do so with the knowledge that, now, Jesus has indeed ascended to the Father. Therefore, He now invites us all to cling to Him as He reigns in Heaven. Ponder the deep desire in the heart of our Lord that you cling to Him with every fiber of your being. He wants to dwell within you, to become one with you and to transform you in every way. This holy union is now being enjoyed for all eternity by Saint Mary of Magdala, and this same gift is being offered to you. Cling to Him and never let go, for this will be your eternal joy.
My risen and ascended Lord, You now reign in Heaven in perfect glory and splendor. Draw me into Your glorious life and invite me to cling to You with all my heart. I invite You, dear Lord, to come and make Your dwelling within me so that I can hold on to You forevermore. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you raised your Son from the dead to new life. I trust in your promise to raise me to new life with you, your Son, and your Holy Spirit. Prepare my heart this day and always for the reward of eternal happiness.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Woman, Why Are You Weeping? The Gospels emphasize the role of the angels in announcing Jesus’ resurrection to the women. The Gospel of John highlights the encounter between Mary of Magdala and the two angels who sat in the tomb. The angels asked her why she was weeping. It was a gentle attempt to get Mary to reflect on Jesus’ words. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus spoke three times about his upcoming passion, death, and resurrection. Mary had seen the passion. She was there at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified. She helped lay the lifeless body of Jesus in the tomb. And now she wanted to finish anointing the body. Instead of seeing the empty tomb and rejoicing that her Lord was alive and raised from the dead, she broke down in tears thinking someone stole the corpse of her Lord.
2. Whom are you Looking For? The risen Jesus began his appearance to Mary by asking Mary the same question as the two angels: “Woman, why are you weeping?” It is a question we can hear in our own prayers. When we are struggling, tempted, or overwhelmed by grief, if we listen attentively, we can hear the voice of God deep within our hearts asking: “Why are you weeping?” In this way, God invites us to have confidence in him, trusting that he knows all things, governs all things, and cares for us. The second question, “Whom are you looking for?,” reminds us of the first words of Jesus in the Gospel of John: “What are you looking for?” (John 1:38). This suggests that a new beginning is taking place. Just as Jesus redefined his relationship with his disciples when they left John the Baptist to remain with him, so the risen Jesus redefines his relationship with Mary after his resurrection. When Jesus pronounces her name, Mary recognizes his voice. Her sadness turns to joy. She has found her beloved. She addresses him with the title “Rabbi” thinking that her relationship with Jesus is the same as it was before. “But the resurrection of Jesus has changed absolutely everything, including the relationship between him and his followers. The disciples, such as Mary, can relate to him no longer as an earthly teacher but as the risen Lord. Jesus’ order, “Stop holding on to me,” is meant in a figurative sense: Mary can no longer hold on to her past notions of discipleship” (Martin and Wright, The Gospel of John, 337).
3. Different Dimensions of the Resurrection in Each Gospel: Each of the Gospels presents a different dimension of the mystery of the Resurrection. The Gospel of Matthew focuses on the mission of the Apostles to go out to all the nations, to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach and observe all that Jesus commanded. Mark emphasizes the initial unbelief of the eleven Apostles, how Jesus rebuked them for not believing, and how they overcame their unbelief and preached the Gospel everywhere. “In Mark 16:15 it is both startling and encouraging that those who have just been upbraided for lack of faith and hardness of heart are now entrusted with preaching the gospel to the whole world” (Brown, Christ in the Gospels of the Liturgical Year, 205). The Gospel of Luke narrates how Jesus opened his disciples’ minds to understand the scriptures and how the Christian community can continue to encounter him in the Word of Life and the Bread of Life. The Gospel of John highlights how individuals like Mary of Magdala, Thomas, John, and Simon Peter, all came to believe in the risen Jesus. “The Beloved Disciple believed when he saw the garments left in the tomb; Mary Magdalene believed when she heard the voice of the risen Jesus call her name; the disciples believed when they saw the risen Jesus and realized that it was the Lord; Thomas believed when challenged by the risen Jesus to carry out a disbelieving program of probing” (Brown, Christ in the Gospels of the Liturgical Year, 254).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my savior and have cleansed me through the waters of Baptism. Teach me to repent from sin each day and turn to you and the Father. Send your Spirit into my heart and guide me so that I may behold your glorious face in heaven.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” Matthew 28:12–14
The Lord of all rose from the grave, conquering sin and death, making it possible for us all to share in His glorious Resurrection! Death had lost. Satan had lost. The corrupt religious leaders had lost. And all those who believed in Jesus now had their eternal hope renewed. Sadly, though, what was the greatest victory ever known for humanity, a victory that opened the doors to eternal glory for all who believe, could not be accepted by the chief priests and elders of the people. They saw to His death, and, now that He had risen, they scrambled to do all they could to hide that truth.
Pride is hard to overcome. When a person professes they are right, when in fact they are wrong, and when they are then confronted with their error, the sin of pride will inevitably tempt them to further sin. This is what we see today in this passage from our Gospel. The chief priests and elders were informed by the soldiers that when the women came to the tomb early in the morning, there was a great earthquake, and they saw an angel of the Lord descend from Heaven, roll back the stone, and sit on it. When they saw this, “The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:4). And after they heard the angel tell the women that Jesus had risen, the guards went off to tell the chief priests and elders.
After all the miracles and powerful preaching of Jesus, you would think that the chief priests and elders would have believed. But they didn’t. And then, after hearing the testimony of these soldiers, you would think they would have fallen on their knees, repented of their hardness of hearts, and come to believe. But they didn’t. They doubled down in their sin and added sin upon sin.
Some forms of sin can more easily be admitted, especially sins of weakness. When one is weak and falls, it may not be always easy to overcome that sin in the future, but it is easier to acknowledge it as sin when it is caused by human weakness. But a sin of weakness is much different than a sin of obstinate pride. Obstinate pride is not only hard to overcome, it’s hard to admit. It’s hard to admit our sin when it is based on our obstinacy and pride. As a result, this type of sin often leads to other sins such as ongoing deception, manipulation and anger. This is illustrated by these chief priests and elders. But if you can humble yourself and admit your sin when it comes from your pride, that humility can have a powerful and transformative effect upon your life.
Reflect, today, upon these chief priests and elders of the people. Try to ponder their hardness of heart and the sad situation they found themselves in as they attempted to cover up their error and sin. Resolve never to fall into this form of sin yourself. However, if this is a struggle for you, seek humility so that you can be freed of this heavy burden by the grace of the Resurrection of our Lord.
My resurrected Lord, You conquered sin and death and brought forth new life for all who believe in You. Give me the grace, dear Jesus, to never allow my sin of pride to keep me from being open to the glorious and transforming action You desire to do in my life. Please give me the gift of humility so that I may always turn from my sin and turn to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
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