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A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

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.

In today’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb of Jesus and finds it empty. She thinks that the body of Jesus has been stolen, so she asks a man she thinks is the gardener where they have taken him. The man tells her that he is Jesus, and she recognizes him. Jesus tells her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” He tells her to go to the disciples and tell them that he is going to his Father and their Father, to his God and their God. Mary Magdalene goes to the disciples and tells them what she has seen. In this encounter with Jesus, Mary models perfect discipleship; she recognizes the risen Jesus and goes immediately to the disciples to proclaim what she has seen and what Jesus told her.

God, help me with your grace in the same way you helped Mary Magdalene recognize and respond to your Son’s commandment to go and announce the Good News. By destroying death, Jesus bridged a great chasm that stood between you and all of humanity. In that was the end to the ultimate division between God and man but also an end to small divisions that separated your people from you in their earthly existence. Thank you, Lord, for Mary’s love of the risen Christ. As Archbishop Luis María Martínez said of Easter morning: “But a woman whose heart beat with a fathomless, invincible love, returned from the sepulcher, radiant with jubilation, on the luminous Resurrection morning. From the depths of suffering and death, sinlessness arose victorious over sin to bestow upon the world the divine gift of joy.” Once Jesus restored us to you, like Mary we are able to hear and respond to your will. Just as Jesus called Mary by name, make clear to me today, my God, when I hear him call me by name.

Lord, meet me where I am throughout every moment of this day. How am I to recognize you and your word unless you say my name?

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

"The Risen Lord meets Mary Magdalene" flickr photo by Lawrence OP https://flickr.com/photos/paullew/27338020528 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license