I am going to my Father and your Father

Acts 2: 36-41, Jn 20:11-18. Genuine love motivates us towards selflessness and making the greatest sacrifice. Mary of Magdala truly and passionately loved Jesus even after His death. She was the one whom Jesus transformed from a sinner to a saint. Having received His transformative grace, she saw in Him one who gave meaning to her life and source of happiness and peace. Today's Gospel provides us with the account of how Mary was gloomy and covered by grief and returned to the tomb after everyone had gone. She was weeping outside the tomb, stooping to look into the tomb, but did not find Jesus. She forgot that Jesus had already risen from the tomb as He promised. Jesus appeared to her and called her by name: “Mary,” and said to her, “…Go to my brothers and tell them, “I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (Jn 20:16-17). Early Christian writers called her the Apostle to the Apostles because of the significant role she played in relaying the goodnews of the resurrection to the Apostles. Like Mary, we grieve over the death of our loved ones and cry uncontrollably.

Jesus comes to us in such moments of grief, calls us by name and consoles us. His loving presence turns our sorrows into joy and He empowers us with the grace of moving on, despite our grief. In her grief, Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener; but He indeed is the new gardener, the new Adam. The call and response, "Mary”- “Rabbouni” re-establish a broken relationship in affirmative belonging and mutual recognition. The prohibition to touch, while mimicking Eve’s mischievous addition to God’s prohibition, corrects the temptation to grab divinity by force instead of receiving it in gratitude. The fatal expulsion then is replaced now with a total affirmation of sharing Jesus’ own God and Father as our own God and Father. If Eve brought disastrous news to Adam, Mary now brings the good news of redemption to the disciples.

May the Lord strengthen us so that we may always be strong and be able to persevere despite the trials, challenges and difficulties that we may encounter in our path towards Him! Amen!! Good morning and have a glorious day!!!