Mission of Mary Magdalene upon Seeing the Risen Lord and Mission of Peter upon Receiving the Holy Spirit - Tuesday of Paschal Octave

 Today’s Gospel Reading (John 20:11-18) is sequent to the Resurrection Sunday’s Gospel (John 20:1-9).

As we recall from the Resurrection Sunday Mass Gospel Reading (John 20:1-9), early morning of the first day of the week, early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus and discovered that it was empty, seeing its stone was removed. Then, she thought that someone must have taken the corpse of Jesus out of the tomb. And, she ran to Peter and John and reported:

They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him (John 20:2).

We? Though John does not mention anyone else but Mary Magdalene to be the first one to witness the empty tomb, given that the synoptic Gospels describe multiple women, including Mary Magdalene to be the first to come to the tomb in the early morning after sabbath (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1–2; Luke 24:1), it is likely that “we” in John 20:2 indicates that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb with someone else.

And “they” refers to unknown persons, whom Mary Magdalene thought to have taken the corpse of Jesus from the tomb.

Perhaps, Mary Magdalene, possibly with another woman or two, came to the tomb as soon as the sabbath was over to work further on applying myrrh on the corpse of Jesus, though Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took care of binding the corpse of Jesus with burial cloths and putting the myrrh that Nicodemus brought. Joseph and Nicodemus might not have enough time to put all the myrrh, as the beginning of sabbath was fast approaching while Jesus was still on the Cross (John 19:31-42).

But, the corpse of Jesus to put more myrrh was not in the tomb!

Peter and John rushed to the tomb to verify what Mary Magdalene reported about the missing corpse of Jesus and examine the situation.

John ran faster than Peter – not necessarily because Peter was older than John but because Peter’s heart was very heavy with guilt for denying Jesus three times (John 18:15-18, 25-27). So, John first looked inside the empty tomb from outside, then, Peter entered the tomb and saw the neatly placed burial cloths of Jesus there. Finally, John entered and saw them and believed that Jesus resurrected (John 20:2-8).

Both Peter and John saw the folded burial cloths of Jesus in the empty tomb. John believed that it was because Jesus resurrected. But, neither of them understood scriptural references to the resurrection, such as Psalm 16:10-11 and Isaiah 53:11-12 (John 20:9). And they just left the tomb and went back (John 20:10).

And this is where today’s Gospel Reading (John 20:11-18) comes in.

While Peter and John left the tomb after seeing nothing but the neatly placed burial cloths of Jesus, which were put by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:40), Mary Magdalene remained outside the tomb, weeping, and eventually bent herself down and looked inside the tomb (John 20:11). Then, she saw two angels dressed in white, one at where the head of Jesus had been and the other where the feet of Jesus had been (John 20:12), and they asked her:

Woman, why are you weeping? (John 20:13a)

Mary Magdalene explained to the angels that she was weeping because she thinks some persons had removed the corpse of Jesus away from the tomb and do not know where they placed it (John 20:13b).

There is something special about Mary Magdalene.

When Peter and John were in the tomb to examine, just a short while before, they did not encounter the angels. However, when Mary Magdalene stooped down and looked in the tomb, she saw them.

This was not a mere coincidence.

It was meant to be.  To find it out, read on the rest of the narrative.

Upon this brief conversation with the angels, Mary Magdalene turned around and saw risen Jesus. But, she did not recognize that he was Jesus (John 20:14).

Why?  Was she too grief-stricken for not even being able to be assured of the corpse of Jesus and puzzled by this whole mysterious situation to recognize the truth of the resurrection?

Mary Magdalene did not see risen Jesus even though he was right by her, because she came to the tomb not to see risen and living Jesus but to see the corpse of Jesus, expecting to take care of dead Jesus. She was at the tomb with a wrong mindset. This is why she failed to recognize Jesus, who was risen.

So risen Jesus said to her:

Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for? (John 20:15a).

Mary Magdalene was weeping even though that was the day of the resurrection of Jesus, because she came to the tomb to look for a dead man’s body, instead of a living man – risen man, risen Jesus.

Because she did not recognize him, Mary Magdalene thought that risen Jesus was a gardener and asked him:

Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him (John 20:15b).

Not only she thought risen Jesus was a gardener but suspected that he might have removed the corpse of Jesus.

This time, risen Jesus really needed to wake Mary Magdalene up by calling her by name – “Mary!” And, she immediately recognized him and said, “Rabbouni!” (John 20:16). In this “Mary!”-“Rabbouni!” exchange Mary Magdalene’s heavy grief and confusion were all replaced with overflowing joy.

So, she must have tried to hug risen Jesus.

But, Jesus said:

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).

Now Mary Magdalene recognized that Jesus was risen and overjoying. So, it was rather a natural human reaction to hug him. But, risen Jesus did not let her touch him because he had not yet ascended to the Father.

Does it mean that risen Jesus was “rejecting” Mary Magdalene?

First of all, in the original Greek text, the verb for touch in John 20:17 is ἅπτου (haptou) and it is derived from ἅπτομαι (haptomai). This Greek word means more than “touch”, and in this context, it means “fasten” or “cling”.

Now imagine that Mary Magdalene actually hugged risen Jesus as she was overwhelmed with joy. And Jesus has no reason to reject her. But, he had to remind her that it was not time for her to cling to him because at least until he ascends, she has many things to do for him.

That is why Jesus commissioned her to relay his message to the rest of the disciples:

I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God (John 20:17).

God honored Mary Magdalene – though she might have had a colorful past. And, she was helped by him with rather a special care as she needed Jesus’ help multiple times (Mark 16:9; cf. Luke 8:2). And, she became rather enthusiastic follower to him. Otherwise, she would not have come to the tomb before anyone else would. Because of this, Jesus could have had a special affection to her. So, she was able to see the two angels in the tomb and actually meet risen Jesus. So, now he puts her on mission to tell the rest of the disciples of his forthcoming ascension, of which Jesus had already spoken during Last Supper (John 14:1-14; 16:5-33). That is why there was something special about Mary Magdalene.

So, Mary Magdalene did not have to cling to Jesus. She sure enjoyed enough contact with risen Jesus and went on her mission to the rest of the disciples to relay Jesus’ message about his ascension, upon joyfully announcing, “I have seen the Lord!”(John 20:18).

Mary Magdalene was given a task of the first post-resurrection mission to relay his message by risen Jesus. Through her this mission, the resurrection and the ascension were put together as on the same spectrum, stemming from the death of Jesus on the Cross.  Though she was blind to risen Jesus’ physical presence due to her wrong mindset of expecting to see dead Jesus in the tomb, risen Jesus helped her to wake up to the truth of the resurrection by calling her, “Mary!” And, she had this privilege to huge risen Jesus to assure that Jesus resurrected with his real body. Then, Jesus reminded, “Ok, Mary, that’s enough for now. You still have a lot to do, as I have not ascended to the Father”. So, Jesus sent her on mission to relay his message about his ascension.

So, upon Jesus’ resurrection, we prepare ourselves for mission. Jesus does not want us to cling to the festive mood – though it is good to celebrate. But, as follower of Christ, the risen Christ, we also need to mission work. That is why Jesus said to Mary Magdalene – Do not cling to me (John 20:17).

For this reason, we continue to read from the Acts of the Apostle, which focuses on the post-Pentecost mission, during Paschaltide for First Readings.

So, for today’s First Reading (Acts 2:36-41), we read and reflect the rest of Peter’s Pentecost speech, following yesterday’s (Acts 2:14, 22-33).

Some of the audience of Peter’s speech were the ones to have made fun of Peter and other disciples, ridiculing as drunk in the middle of day (Acts 2:13). But, by the time Peter concluded his speech on Jesus, they were really drawn to what Peter knows about Jesus – Jesus himself. They rejected him and even shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”. But, now they regret their rejection of Jesus, as they are coming to realize that the one whom they rejected is truly the Christ, through Peter’s speech. That is why they were cut to the hearts and could not help but ask Peter who they are to do now (Acts 2:37).

So, Peter instructed them:

Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call (Acts 2:38-39).

Peter spoke about Jesus in a way to make everyone hungry and thirsty for Jesus and his grace. And he invited them to repent and to be baptized – to die to sins and to live to God (i.e. Romans 6:11) so that they may receive Christ’s grace of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus.

This is like saying – If God is with us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31).

And Peter concluded that this is about saving ourselves from this corrupt generation (Acts 2:40).

Then, Peter netted 3,000 people for the Church shortly after her birth with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2:41). And, this result of his Pentecost speech on Jesus (Acts 2:14-40) now proves that Peter has, indeed, become a fisher of men (Luke 5:11).

As with yesterday’s readings (Acts 2:14, 22-33; Matthew 28:8-15), we continue to reflect post- Resurrection mission of Mary Magdalene and post-Pentecost mission of Peter with today’s readings (Acts 2:36-41; John 20: 11-18).

Having read and reflected these readings for yesterday and today, how are you moving forward to do your mission for the risen Christ, as the truth of Christ’s resurrection is now settling in you?

God put Mary Magdalene in the post-Resurrection missionary motion. And this certainly benefitted Peter so that he proved that he is a great fisher of men for Jesus, upon Pentecost. And, in Jesus’ post-Resurrection message, relayed by Mary Magdalene to Peter and the rest of the disciples, they were pointed to his Ascension. Because Jesus connected  Ascension to Pentecost in his discourse at the Last Supper (John 14:1-31; 16:5-33), we can see Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost, in one spectrum. And this is what Paschaltide reflection is about.