On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus' tomb, early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran

 

John 20:1-2.11-18. Monday of the 16th Week of the TC, July 22, 2024. Santa Maria Madalena.

Gospel 1 On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus' tomb, early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran out and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, "They took the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." 11 Mary stood outside the tomb, weeping. As she cried, she leaned over and looked into the tomb. 12 She then saw two angels dressed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been laid, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 The angels asked, "Woman, why do you weep?" She replied: "They took my Lord and I don't know where they put him." 14 Having said this, Mary turned back and saw Jesus standing. But she didn't know it was Jesus. 15 Jesus asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?" Thinking it was the gardener, Mary said: "Sir, if it was you who took him, tell me where you put him, and I will come and get him." 16 Then Jesus said, "Mary!" She turned and exclaimed, in Hebrew: "Rabunni" (which means: Master). 17 Jesus said, "Do not hold me back. I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell my brothers: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, my God and your God." 18 Then Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples: "I have seen the Lord!", and she told them what Jesus had said to her. — Word of Salvation. Reflection 1. Mary Magdalene, representing those who have not yet understood, who have not achieved the gift of faith, leaves "very early in the morning", it is still "dark", she sees the "tomb", but does not enter it, and despairs; She is still searching for the corpse. Dawn and darkness are signs of the absence of light, of life, of the newness of faith; there is no adherence to the LIVING Jesus; despite it being dawn, with Jesus already resurrected, she was unable to SEE this mystery. It was on SUNDAY, on the first day of the week, which now indicates the day of the New Creation, the New History, the Victory over death, sin and the Devil; Resurrection Day, therefore, the Lord's Day, the Day of the fullness of the Sabbath; the Day of New Humanity, of those who found the Lord. She cries, still worried about the disappearance of Jesus' body. She was not there with a vision of faith, but full of good emotional feelings, in the context of a purely human vision. Even with the presence of the angels, she remained “blind” to the new reality of the resurrection. The feeling of friendship overtakes her at that moment, not allowing her to advance as a disciple. A disciple does not look for a corpse, he does not rejoice over a dead one. It is characteristic of those who become disciples to live by faith, involved in the experience and also in the search for the LIVING, Resurrected Jesus Christ. 2. Mary Magdalene goes through a journey of faith. At first, she still clings to human ties; then, she is invited to see events more accurately; Finally, she has an encounter with the Resurrected One and then achieves profound clarity in faith. When Jesus takes the initiative and calls her by name, Mary not only has the impression of having seen the sign and expressed her faith, but, in addition, she expresses "I saw the Lord", a typical expression of the early Church. The Lord is Jesus, glorious, resurrected, victorious, present in their midst. Jesus' appearances constitute the second sign of the historicity of His Resurrection. 3. Mary cannot touch Jesus. At that moment, before ascending to the Father, Jesus does not allow himself to be touched because it is necessary to ascend to the Father to be able to meet his people and, also, because the way in which Mary approached did not correspond to the vision of faith required by the resurrection. Jesus must now be touched in a new way, because he is in a NEW WAY, even though he is the same person, same identity, therefore, but in a state of glory, achieved only by faith. The way the scene with Thomas is touched is different, for example, since he was not looking for the emotional ties of the past, but precisely for the discovery of faith in the Lordship of the resurrected Christ. Mary was tempted to return to her previous experience, hence why, in her itinerary, Jesus demanded a new form of relationship, based exclusively on FAITH.