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.
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Reflection:
How would feel if a very close friend or relative dies? Surely it would
be very devastating as if your world has momentarily ended. This was the
feeling of Mary Magdalene she was so devastated by the death of her beloved
friend Jesus.
Mary Magdalene was so consumed by the death of Jesus that she failed to
recognize the resurrected Jesus who asked her why she was weeping (John
20:14-15). Then afterwards Jesus revealed Himself to her and Mary Magdalene
recognized Jesus (John 20:16).
Death is a certainty of life, it visits anyone of us at a time that it
chooses. A time that often times we don’t like but death comes to us and nobody
can prevent it for it’s the cycle of our life.
But after death comes life, life that is very much different from the
life that we have in this world. Perhaps this was the reason why Mary
Magdalene did not recognize the resurrected Jesus when He appeared to her. Mary
Magdalene could not distinguish the image of the resurrected Jesus as opposed
to Jesus before His death.
The resurrected Jesus also manifests Himself to us yet we don’t pay attention
to Him. He comes to us through the poor that we often see begging for
whatever that we could give them. Jesus also manifests Himself to us through a
sick relative or friend who is longing for our visit. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
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