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?
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?” John 20:11–12
Mary Magdalene was one of the women who accompanied Jesus and the Twelve Apostles as they traveled from town to town during His public ministry. Luke 8:2 introduces her as “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” Being possessed by seven demons signifies complete possession, illustrating the depth of her suffering. Though demons cannot touch a person’s soul, they can afflict the body, which was the case with Mary. While Scripture does not tell us how she became afflicted, we can imagine the profound gratitude she must have felt after her deliverance. This gratitude, joined with her newfound faith, made Mary one of Jesus’ most faithful and devoted followers.
Today’s Gospel offers a glimpse into Mary’s unshakable love for Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels mention that she was not alone when she went to the tomb to honor His body. However, John’s Gospel focuses solely on Mary, likely to highlight her unique experience and encourage us to learn from the depth of her devotion.
Mary’s early morning visit to the tomb reveals her passionate love—she could not wait to honor Him, even if only by tending to His lifeless body. Finding the tomb empty, she immediately ran to inform the disciples. Peter and John hurried to see for themselves, with Mary following behind. After the two disciples saw the empty tomb and left, Mary remained, setting the stage for today’s passage.
Saint John seems to invite us to contemplate Mary’s actions. Imagine Peter and John leaving, while Mary remains, seated at the entrance of the tomb, weeping. Though she did not yet understand that Jesus had risen, her love for Him held her there, anchored in the place where He had been laid. In times of distress, confusion, or uncertainty, we are called to imitate Mary’s steadfast devotion. Our love for Jesus should draw us spiritually to His empty tomb, keeping us close even when understanding eludes us.
As Mary wept outside the tomb, she did not know what would come next. She only knew she needed to be there. Her mind was clouded with grief, but her heart led her to stay. She remained not out of reason, but because her heart, filled with love, kept her there.
In following her heart—consumed with love for Jesus—Mary was led to a life-changing encounter. When Jesus appeared, she initially mistook Him for the gardener and, in her passionate longing, begged Him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Again, she spoke from her heart rather than from understanding. But then Jesus called her by name: “Mary!” In that moment, her heart and mind were united, and she recognized Him. With this recognition, she saw and believed.
Reflect today on Mary Magdalene weeping outside Jesus’ empty tomb and then hearing Him say, “Mary!” That she is the first person in Scripture to see the risen Lord is deeply significant. Clearly, God desires that we learn from her and imitate her love. Though we might not have been delivered from seven demons, we have been delivered from sin. This should stir in us a gratitude so deep that we willingly abandon all to follow Him. And when life is confusing or uncertain, we, like Mary, must follow the holy desires God places in our hearts, so that our love for Christ will lead us through uncertainty into clarity, when, like Mary, we hear our Lord call us by name.
My risen Lord, Your empty tomb is a symbol of the longing I must have for You when I encounter life’s uncertainties. When I am confused and do not understand where to turn, please flood my heart with an unshakable desire for You so that my love will lead me to where You are and where You want me to be. 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. Moved and Cut to the Heart: In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter’s listeners were moved and cut to the heart by his preaching on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit empowered Peter and the other Apostles to overcome their fear. The Spirit also convicts the world of sin (John 16:7-9) and, through the Holy Spirit, the people gathered in Jerusalem recognized their guilt and came to believe that Jesus had been raised by God from the dead and that Jesus was both Lord and Christ. They believed that Jesus is truly God and truly the Savior of the world.
2. Repent and Be Baptized: Their new faith in Jesus Christ spurred them to ask Peter: “What are we to do?” Peter answers: “Repent and be baptized.” “Repentance (metánoia) is a complete change of heart and mind involving a judgment upon the past and a new direction for the future. It is one of the necessary dispositions for initial justification, following faith and hope and preceding the charity bestowed with Baptism” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, 47). John the Baptist preached the same message at the beginning of his ministry. John’s baptism, however, was powerless to forgive sins. The baptism inaugurated by Jesus and preached by Peter was able to forgive sins. John’s baptism cleansed the people with water and led to the conversion of the heart. Peter’s baptism in the name of Jesus Christ effectively cleanses the people with the Holy Spirit and brings people into God’s family.
3. This Corrupt Generation: When Peter speaks about forgiveness, he uses the word “release.” This evokes the image of “release from captivity,” captivity to sin (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1). Peter exhorted his listeners to save themselves from this “corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40). Peter is alluding to Israel’s wilderness generation as a type or pattern of the present generation. “The first Passover immediately preceded the crossing of the Red Sea and was soon followed by the giving of the Law; the Last Supper immediately preceded the death and Resurrection of Jesus and was soon followed by the giving of the Spirit. The Israelites wandered for forty years in the wilderness because of their unfaithful refusal to enter the promised Land (cf. Num. 14:20-35), with the result that those who had refused to enter died before crossing the Jordan; Israel restored by Christ would hold out the offer of salvation for forty years in Jerusalem in the face of intense persecution, until those who refused to accept the Gospel were destroyed along with the city and Temple” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, 49). Today’s Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 33, says that those who fear the Lord hope that God will deliver them from death and preserve them. Those who believe, repent, and are baptized will be saved from the corrupt generation that rejected the one the Father sent to redeem them.
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.
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.
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