"On the first day of the week”
Jesus promised that He would rise on the third day. We hear a lot about the third day, but often we do not meditate on the 24 hours during the third day and the impact they made on the followers of Christ and continue to make on us. The passion and death of Jesus is now complete and Jesus has much to share with all of us. We meditate and enter into the passion and death of Christ during Holy Week and Good Friday. With that same fervor, we should meditate and enter into the Resurrection of Christ, especially during Easter and the following eight days, which is called the Octave.
Read Mark 16:9-15 [Easter Saturday’s Reading]
Mark’s Gospel sums up the whole third day. In the morning, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, she tells the disciples, and they don’t believe her. Probably around midday to evening, Jesus appears to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They tell the disciples who don’t believe them. In the evening into night, Jesus appears to the eleven while they are at table, Jesus rebukes them for their unbelief and then says, “… go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
What are the themes of Mark’s summary? Disbelief and Hope. The disciples do not believe the witness of Mary Magdalene or the two disciples going to Emmaus. Jesus rebukes them for their unbelief, yet still sends them out into the whole world. Why does God still use these unbelieving disciples? They may not believe in Him, but He believes in them. He also lets them know there will be unbelief. He is sending them out to proclaim the Gospel, a proclamation that will not always be believed or taken seriously. As they go out to the whole world, the disciples will always remember the third day as a day in which they did not believe the proclamation of the Gospel twice, once from Mary Magdalene and once from the disciples going to Emmaus. This memory of the third day will help the disciples to be patient and hopeful even when those they proclaim the Gospel to, reject it in disbelief. This memory of the third day, will keep them humble. How are we made humble by the mistakes of our past?
If we combine the accounts of Matthew and John’s Gospel we get a picture of what happened on Easter Sunday morning.
Read John 20:1-9 [Easter Sunday’s Reading]
Read John 20:11-18 [Easter Tuesday’s Reading]
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and sees that the stone is rolled away.
She goes to Simon Peter and the disciples and says, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” Peter and John run to the tomb, John runs faster, but then waits for Peter before entering the tomb. Peter and John enter.
In this short section of scripture, we already begin to see the importance of Peter and the Apostles. Magdalene feels obligated to tell the leaders of the Church this great news. It was only Mary, the Mother of God, Mary Magdalene, and Saint John that were courageous enough to follow Christ all the way to the Cross. It would seem that Mary Magdalene would be ashamed or hold a grudge toward the others, but this is not the case. She goes straight to Peter and the disciples to give them hope of the Good News, to proclaim the Gospel. No one is worthy of the Gospel. One of the main themes of the Resurrection is hope. No one is denied the Gospel, no matter, what they have done. Also, no person or group has sole rights or ownership of the Gospel. Mary Magdalene does not have the “right” to keep this message to herself. She has an obligation to share it.
Why is Peter mentioned by name? Why does Saint John the faster apostle, wait for Peter before entering the tomb? Saint Peter, even though he denied Christ three times, is still the leader, the head. He was appointed by Jesus, when Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” [1] Saint John is younger (probably a teenager) and faster than Saint Peter and he arrives at the tomb first. Saint John, like Mary Magdalene, was at the Cross and it would seem he should have the right to enter the tomb first. Why does Saint John wait? He is respectful of Peter, the head. As faithful Catholics, we believe in the authority of the Magisterium, the Pope, and the Bishops. Although the faithful might want to move very quickly, we must be patient and wait for the guidance of our leaders, especially in regards to doctrine, morals and liturgy. This fidelity and obedience is one of the great marks of a disciple, and we literally see it from the “first day”. We say “first day” is because although Jesus died and rose again on the third day, it was the “first day of the week”, thus we say “first day”.
While Saint Peter and Saint John enter the tomb, Mary Magdalene waits outside the tomb alone. Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” [2] Jesus chooses Mary Magdalene and calls her by name. Although Jesus appears to her, she does not recognize Him until He calls her by name. Jesus appears to us each day in many ways, but we might not recognize Him until He calls us by name. What are the ways that Jesus calls us by name? In many of the rites of the Sacraments, we are called by name. In Baptism, the person’s name is said, “N. I baptism you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In the Sacrament of Confirmation we even take a new name, a confirmation name. In Holy Matrimony, the priest asks the spouses by name to declare their vows. In the Byzantine Rite, at Holy Communion the priest or deacon will say, “The servant of the Lord N. receives the Body of Christ.” or “The handmaid of the Lord N. receives the Body of Christ.” In these rites or sacraments, we are called by name and then sent on with a mission or responsibility. Jesus first calls Mary Magdalene by name and then gives her a mission. Jesus asks her, “…go to my brothers and tell them, I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
Read Matthew 28:1-10 [Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday and Easter Monday’s Reading]
Jesus Appears on the road to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
Matthew’s Gospel differs from John’s in that the first appearance of Jesus to Mary [3] and Mary Magdalene. It also does not take place at the tomb but in the streets on their way back from the tomb. In Matthew’s Gospel they recognize Jesus immediately. What is their response after recognizing Jesus? They approached Jesus, embraced his feet, and paid him homage. Like John’s Gospel, there are two parts. They pay homage and then are sent on a mission. We cannot succeed in any mission unless we first embrace the “good portion” talked about in Luke 10:41-42. Mary, Martha’s sister, sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary recognize Jesus, approach Him, embrace His feet, and pay Him homage. We must follow the example of their actions on this “first day”. We must perceive, receive, and respond. We perceive and recognize Jesus and then approach Him. When we recognize a person, we approach them to make sure they are the person we think they are. It is embarrassing when we call out someone’s name and then it is not that person.
Once we recognize Jesus, we must approach Him, to get to know Him deeper, to see His face. We cannot follow at a distance. Once we have approached Him, we can begin to receive Him. We receive Him by embracing His feet and paying Him homage. How do we embrace the feet of Jesus and pay Him homage? First we humble ourselves.. This humility is practiced in a life of prayer. We pay Him homage through living the Sacramental life. Each time we go to Massor participate in other liturgical prayer, adoration, etc., we are paying homage to Jesus. We also pay homage to Jesus by the witness we give in our thoughts, words and actions. As Saint Paul says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” [4] When we recognize (perceive), we approach, when we approach, we receive through humility and homage. After we have received, we are sent to give to others. After paying Him homage, they went to tell the disciples, because Jesus had asked Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to “… tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
It says that Magdalene and the other Mary “were fearful yet overjoyed”. How do being called by God and sent by God make us both joyful and fearful? We are filled with joy that Our Lord has called us as humble and weak as we are. Sometimes we are fearful of the task of being Christ to the world, of proclaiming the Good News. Why are we sometimes afraid to spread the Gospel? We might feel we are too sinful or unworthy. As Saint Paul says, “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels.” [5] God chooses in His Mercy to fill us, earthen vessels, with the treasure of His Grace. We might feel overwhelmed at the task at hand, for Jesus says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these because I am going to the Father.” [6] We might fear rejection, that no one will listen. We might fear persecution and death for Jesus said, “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.” [7] We are called to preserve and spread the Gospel at whatever cost.
There is much to be afraid of, and this is why two times in Matthew’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary hear the words “Do not be afraid.” Both the Angel and Jesus spoke these words to them and to us. Fear cannot hold us back. Those that play sports might fear injury, but that does not keep them from playing the game. Soldiers might fear death, but that does not keep them from defending their country. Fear is an emotion not an action. We must never let this emotion hold back our action or call to preach the Gospel. The opposite of fear is peace. We should not fear because Jesus defeated death by dying on the cross. Jesus brings peace to all. His sacrifice is ongoing still, and brings peace to the world through the sacrifice of the Mass. This is why the priest sometimes prays during the Eucharistic Prayer, “Lord, may this sacrifice, which has made our peace with you, advance the peace and salvation of all the world.” [8] We must never hold back peace to others.
[1] Matthew 16:18
[2] John 15:16
[3] Please see Matthew 27:56 (the other Mary is the mother of James and Joseph)
[4] 1 Corinthians 10:31
[5] 2 Corinthians 4:7
[6] John 14:12
[7] John 15:18
[8] Eucharistic Prayer EP III