John 20:11-18

Acts 2:36-41

Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20 and 22

John 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.

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. Personal Encounter of the Risen Christ: In the Gospel, John tells us that when Mary Magdalene encountered Jesus on Easter Sunday, she did not know that it was him until he called out her name. Encountering the risen Christ is a very personal experience. The same holds true for each one of us. Our encounter with the risen Christ in the Eucharist is very personal. When we hear the voice of Jesus in prayer, he says our name and awaits our response. Hopefully, we respond in faith as Mary does today.

2. Mary of Magdala’s Mission: Jesus has a mission for Mary. She is to announce the Resurrection to the Apostles and reveal to them that Jesus is returning to God the Father. Jesus will ascend to the Father forty days after his Resurrection and will send the Holy Spirit to his Apostles. By saying “my Father and your Father,” Jesus reveals the great truth of our adoptive sonship. Through our Baptism, we have received a spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15) and are made sons of God in the Son. We are heirs of God (Romans 8:17), co-heirs with God, and will receive the promised inheritance. On earth, we share in Christ’s sufferings so that we may share in his glory in heaven. Mary received the grace to see the Lord: She beheld the glory of God, the glory of the only-begotten Son of God (John 1:14). We too will behold that glory as sons of God and be able to say: “I have seen the Lord.”

3. The Effect of Peter’s Preaching: In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter’s listeners are moved and cut to the heart by his preaching on the day of Pentecost. They come to believe that Jesus was raised by God from the dead and that Jesus is both Lord and Christ. They believe that Jesus is truly God and truly the Savior of the world. Their new faith in Jesus Christ spurs them to ask Peter: “What are we to do?” Peter answers: “Repent and be baptized.” John the Baptist preached the same message at the beginning of his ministry. John’s baptism, however, was powerless to forgive sins. The baptism preached by Peter is able to forgive sins. John’s baptism cleansed the people with water and led to conversion of 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. The Psalm 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 who 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.

Living the Word of God: How can I encounter Jesus each day? Do I hear him call my name in prayer? Do I listen to his word in the Bible? How can I prepare my heart to receive him in the Eucharist? Do I serve the suffering Christ in the poor? What can I do better?