A reading from the gospel according to John 20:1A AND 2-8
1A On the first day of the week,
2 Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.”
3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first;
5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
Pointers for Reflection:
1. Mary Magdalene was a woman whom Jesus healed of evil spirits. She became one of His loyal disciples who served Him even after His death. In fact, she was privileged to be the first witness of the empty tomb and the first to announce it to His closest friends. At that time in Israel and elsewhere in the world, women were not equal to men but Jesus raised their profile. To Him, gender does not matter in discipleship.
2. What is remarkable about Mary Magdalene was her dedication to serve Jesus after her healing. She is the epitome of real change – that great sinners have a future and that the past should not be a hindrance to become a saint. Indeed, once we accept Jesus as our savior, there should be no turning back. We leave the past behind and keep moving on towards the Kingdom of God.
3. Then there is Peter, he who denied Jesus three times. After he realized his mistake, he repented and regained his faith. Together with John the Beloved, he ran to see the empty tomb as soon as he heard it. Do we have the same urge to see the resurrected Jesus?
4. John the Beloved showed humility by giving way to Peter to be the first to enter the empty tomb. When it was his turn, he saw and believed. Blessed are we who have not seen but still believe (John 20:29).
