The Appearance to Mary of Magdala
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Jn 20:11-18
11Mary [of Magdala] stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. 13And
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.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.
15Jesus 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.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. 17Jesus
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.’ ” 18Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.
Mary went and announced to the disciples. Among
the Jews then, a woman’s testimony is considered unworthy and
unreliable. That a woman is the first to be tasked to spread the news is
another proof to the truth of the resurrection. This particular episode
shows that there is no deliberate attempt to strengthen the case in
favor of the resurrection. It will be more convincing if Jesus appears
before Pilate or Herod or the Sanhedrin.
The
resurrection is not about proof and evidence. It is about faith. Those
who believe are transformed and courageously and joyfully proclaim the
good news of the resurrection. Those who refuse to believe ignore even
the strongest of evidence. How accurately Jesus spoke about the latter:
“If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded if someone should rise from the dead” (Lk 16:31).
“The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord” (Responsorial Psalm).
Go and announce this good news to others
by the way you live.
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