The Resurrection of the
Lord
The Mass of Easter
Sunday
Lectionary: 42
Reading 1 Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Peter
proceeded to speak and said:
“You know
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in
Galilee after the baptism
that John
preached,
how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the
Holy Spirit and power.
He went
about doing good
and healing
all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was
with him.
We are
witnesses of all that he did
both in the
country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him
to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God
raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all
the people, but to us,
the
witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and
drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He
commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify
that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of
the living and the dead.
To him all
the prophets bear witness,
that
everyone who believes in him
will receive
forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
R. (24) This is the day the Lord has
made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks
to the LORD, for he is good,
for his
mercy endures forever.
Let the
house of Israel
say,
“His mercy
endures forever.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“The right
hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right
hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not
die, but live,
and declare
the works of the LORD.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone
which the builders rejected
has become
the cornerstone.
By the LORD
has this been done;
it is
wonderful in our eyes.
R. This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2 Col
3:1-4
Brothers and
sisters:
If then you
were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ
is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of
what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have
died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ
your life appears,
then you too
will appear with him in glory.
or 1 Cor 5:6b-8
Brothers and
sisters:
Do you not
know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out
the old yeast,
so that you
may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as
you are unleavened.
For our
paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore,
let us celebrate the feast,
not with the
old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Gospel Jn 20:1-9
On the first
day of the week,
Mary of
Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was
still dark,
and saw the
stone removed from the tomb.
So she 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 don’t
know where they put him.”
So Peter and
the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both
ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived
at the tomb first;
he bent down
and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon
Peter arrived after him,
he went into
the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the
cloth that had covered his head,
not with the
burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the
other disciple also went in,
the one who
had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw
and believed.
For they did
not yet understand the Scripture
that he had
to rise from the dead.
Or Lk 24:1-12
At daybreak
on the first day of the week
the women
who had come from Galilee with Jesus
took the
spices they had prepared
and went to
the tomb.
They found
the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when
they entered,
they did not
find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they
were puzzling over this, behold,
two men in
dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were
terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to
them,
“Why do you
seek the living one among the dead?
He is not
here, but he has been raised.
Remember
what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son
of Man must be handed over to sinners
and be
crucified, and rise on the third day.”
And they
remembered his words.
Then they
returned from the tomb
and
announced all these things to the eleven
and to all
the others.
The women
were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;
the others
who accompanied them also told this to the apostles,
but their
story seemed like nonsense
and they did
not believe them.
But Peter
got up and ran to the tomb,
bent down,
and saw the burial cloths alone;
then he went
home amazed at what had happened.
Or Lk 24:13-35
At an afternoon or evening Mass
That very
day, the first day of the week,
two of
Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village
seven miles from Jerusalem
called Emmaus,
and they
were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it
happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus
himself drew near and walked with them,
but their
eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked
them,
“What are
you discussing as you walk along?”
They
stopped, looking downcast.
One of them,
named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the
only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not
know of the things
that have
taken place there in these days?”
And he
replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to
him,
“The things
that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a
prophet mighty in deed and word
before God
and all the people,
how our
chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a
sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were
hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides
all this,
it is now
the third day since this took place.
Some women
from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at
the tomb early in the morning
and did not
find his body;
they came
back and reported
that they
had indeed seen a vision of angels
who
announced that he was alive.
Then some of
those with us went to the tomb
and found
things just as the women had described,
but him they
did not see.”
And he said
to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not
necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter
into his glory?”
Then
beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he
interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the
Scriptures.
As they
approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the
impression that he was going on farther.
But they
urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is
nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went
in to stay with them.
And it
happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took
bread, said the blessing,
broke it,
and gave it to them.
With that
their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he
vanished from their sight.
Then they
said to each other,
“Were not
our hearts burning within us
while he
spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set
out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they
found gathered together
the eleven
and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord
has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two
recounted
what had
taken place on the way
and how he
was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
Scripture Study
This Sunday
the church celebrates Easter, the original Christian feast. The Resurrection of
Jesus is the great foundational event of Christianity and is at the very center
of our beliefs about Jesus. This event established the pattern for our new
relationship with the Father and carries within itself the promise of our own
resurrection.
First Reading: Acts 10: 34a,
37-43
34 Then
Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see that God shows no
partiality. [35 Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is
acceptable to him. 36 You know the word (that) he sent to the Israelites as he
proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,] 37 what has
happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John
preached,38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God
was with him. 39 We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the
Jews and (in) Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. 40 This man God raised (on) the
third day and granted that he be visible, 41 not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he
rose from the dead. 42 He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify
that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 To
him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will
receive forgiveness of sins through his name."
NOTES on First
Reading:
* 10:34-43
The reading is taken from Peter's speech to the household of Cornelius which is
probably fairly typical of early Christian preaching to Gentiles. For this
speech Luke has taken material that was already part of the Christian tradition
and reworked it to some extent. It is full of Luke's universalist themes and language.
* 10:35
Verses 35-36 [in brackets above] are not included in the reading but I left
them in for completeness. God's choice of Israel to be the people of God so
that He might reveal Himself did not mean that he withheld Divine favor from
all the other peoples of the earth. All peoples of the world are loved by God.
* 10:36-43
This speech has the ring of Luke speaking more directly to his Christian
readers rather than Peter speaking to the household of Cornelius, as is
indicated by the opening words, "You know." The speech traces the
continuity between the preaching and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and the
proclamation of Jesus by the early Christians. The emphasis on this divinely
ordained continuity (Acts 10:41) is meant to assure Luke's readers of the
fidelity of Christian tradition to the words and deeds of Jesus.
* 10:38 The
early church saw the ministry of Jesus as an integral part of God's revelation.
For this reason they were interested in conserving the historical substance of
the ministry of Jesus. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit this tradition
lead to the writing and preservation of the four gospels. The passion and
urgency in the tone of the remaining verses (up to 44) of this speech clearly
show this desire to pass on the teaching of Jesus.
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
1 If then
you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the
right hand of God. 2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 3 For you
have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ your life
appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
NOTES on
Second Reading
(Choice 2) :
* 3:1-4 Paul
urges the Colossians to hold on to the gospel message that the risen, living
Christ is the source of their salvation. This will keep them free from false
religious values and notions concerning the things of the world (Col 3:1-2). They have
died to these but one day when Christ appears, they will live with Him in the
presence of God (Col
3:3-4).
- OR -
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians
5:6b-8
6 Do you not
know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? 7 Clear out the old yeast, so
that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For
our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us celebrate the
feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
NOTES on
Second Reading
(Choice #1) :
* 5:6 Paul
uses a proverbial expression here. Yeast is a common biblical symbol for a
source of corruption that becomes all-pervasive (sin).
* 5:7-8 In
the Jewish calendar, Passover was followed immediately by the festival of
Unleavened Bread. In preparation for Passover all traces of old bread were
removed from the house, and during both celebrations only unleavened bread was
eaten. Paul uses the sequence of these two feasts as an image of Christian
life. Jesus' death (the true Passover celebration) is followed by the life of
the Christian community, marked by newness, purity, and integrity (a perpetual
feast of unleavened bread). Paul may have been writing around Passover time
(See 1 Cor 16:5). This is often called a little Easter homily. If it really is,
then it is the earliest one in Christian literature.
Gospel Reading: John 20:1-9
1 On the
first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. 2 So she 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 don't 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. 9 For
they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
NOTES on
Gospel:
* 20:1-31 In
Chapter 20 of the Gospel of John the risen Jesus reveals his glory and confers
the Spirit. This story fulfills the basic need for testimony to the
resurrection. It is not a single record but a series of individual stories
strung together.
* 20:1-10
While the story of the empty tomb is found in both the Matthean and the Lucan
traditions, John's version seems to be a fusion of the two stories.
* 20:1 John
says it is "Still dark." According to Mark the sun had risen, Matthew
describes it as "dawning," and Luke refers to early dawn. In John, Mary
sees the stone removed, not the empty tomb.
* 20:2 Here,
Mary runs away. She is not directed by an angel (young man) as in the synoptic
accounts. The plural "we" in the second part of her statement might
reflect an older tradition of more women going to the tomb.
* 20:3-10 In
Luke 24:12, this same basic story is told of Peter alone. It is missing in some
important manuscripts and may be borrowed from a tradition similar to John. See
also Luke 24:24.
* 20:6-8 The
text seems to indicate that some special feature about the state of the burial
cloths caused the beloved disciple to believe. Perhaps the details implied that
the grave had not been robbed or the body simply removed.
* 20:9 This
is probably a general reference to the scriptures as in Luke 24:26 and 1 Cor
15:4 rather than to any specific quote. Several Old Testament passages suggest
themselves: Psalm 16:10; Hosea 6:2; Jonah 2:1,2,10.
Meditation:
"Why do you seek the living among the dead?"
What did the
disciples of Jesus discover on the third day of Jesus' death? On Sunday morning
the women who had stood with Jesus when he died upon the cross on Good Friday
went to the tomb to pay their last tribute to a dead body. The disciples
thought that everything had finished in tragedy. None of Jesus' followers were
expecting to see an empty tomb and hear the angel's message, "Why do you
seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you, while he was still in
Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise"
(Luke 24:5-7). The angel urged them to believe that Jesus had indeed risen just
as he had promised. This good news was not easy for them to grasp because their
hearts were still weighed down with grief and doubt. In wonder they went to
share the good news with the other disciples.
Is it any
small wonder that it was the women, rather than the apostles, who first
witnessed the empty tomb and then the appearance of the resurrected Lord
(Matthew 28:8-10; Mark 16:9; John 20:15-18)? Isidore of Seville (560-636 AD), a
great teacher and bishop, commented on the signicance of the women being the
first to hear the good news of the resurrection: "As a woman (Eve) was
first to taste death, so a woman (Mary Magdalene) was first to taste life. As a
woman was prescient in the fall, so a woman was prescient in beholding the
dawning of redemption, thus reversing the curse upon Eve." The first to
testify to the risen Lord was a woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven
demons.
What is the
significance of the stone being rolled away? It would have taken several people
to move such a stone. And besides, the sealed tomb had been guarded by
soldiers! This is clearly the first sign of the resurrection. Bede (672-735
AD), a renowned scripture commentator from England, wrote: "[The angel]
rolled back the stone not to throw open a way for our Lord to come forth, but
to provide evidence to people that he had already come forth. As the virgin's
womb was closed, so the sepulcher was closed, yet he entered the world through
her closed womb, and so he left the world through the closed sepulcher"
(from Homilies on the Gospels 2,7,24). Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD), another
early church father remarked: "To behold the resurrection, the stone must
first be rolled away from our hearts." Do you know the joy of the
resurrection?
It is
significant that the disciples had to first deal with the empty tomb before
they could come to grips with the fact that scripture had foretold that Jesus
would die for our sins and then rise triumphant. They disbelieved until they
saw the empty tomb. Bede (672-735 AD) explains why the Risen Lord chose to
reveal himself gradually to the disciples:
"Our Lord and redeemer revealed the
glory of his resurrection to his disciples gradually and over a period of time,
undoubtedly because so great was the virtue of the miracle that the weak hearts
of mortals could not grasp [the significance of] this all at once. Thus, he had
regard for the frailty of those seeking him. To those who came first to the
tomb, both the women who were aflame with love for him and the men, he showed
the stone rolled back. Since his body had been carried away, he showed them the
linen cloths in which it had been wrapped lying there alone. Then, to the women
who were searching eagerly, who were confused in their minds about what they
had found out about him, he showed a vision of angels who disclosed evidences
of the fact that he had risen again. Thus, with the report of his resurrection
already accomplished, going ahead of him, the Lord of hosts and the king of
glory himself at length appeared and made clear with what great might he had
overcome the death he had temporarily tasted." (From Homilies on the
Gospels 2,9,25)
One thing is
certain, if Jesus had not risen from the dead and appeared to his disciples, we
would never have heard of him. Nothing else could have changed sad and
despairing men and women into people radiant with joy and courage. The reality
of the resurrection is the central fact of the Christian faith. Through the
gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord gives us "eyes of faith" to know
him and the power of his resurrection. The greatest joy we can have is to
encounter the living Lord and to know him personally. Do you celebrate the
feast of Easter with joy and thanksgiving for the victory which Jesus has won
for you over sin and death?
"Lord
Jesus Christ, you have triumphed over the grave and you have won new life for
us. Give me the eyes of faith to see you in your glory. Help me to draw near to
you and to grow in the knowledge of your great love and power."
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Empty Tomb,
Expectant Heart
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Easter Sunday
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Father Robert Presutti, LC
John 20:1-9
On the first
day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning while
it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So
she ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved,
and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t
know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and
came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than
Peter, and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down to look in and saw the
burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had
covered his head, not lying with the burial cloths but rolled up in a
separate place. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also
went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the
scripture, that he had to rise from the dead.
Introductory
Prayer: Lord, you are the source of all life because you are
life itself. Your resurrection gives me the hope of being raised from the
dead to rejoice with you forever in heaven. Thank you for your presence in my
life. I love you, and I want to follow after you with all my heart. Be with
me now, and inspire my prayer.
Petition: Lord Jesus, grant me
the joy of seeing my hopes constantly kindled by your power over sin and
death. May the strength of your resurrection overcome the weaknesses of my
human nature.
1.
Confusing Signs: Without faith, realities that should inspire hope and
expectation only cause confusion. Jesus’ empty tomb is the sign of the most
complete victory, the most extreme love, and the most powerful presence. Mary
Magdalene, Peter and John all see the empty tomb. But their limited faith
needs time to grow and completely accept the great gift that is offered to
them. In approaching the mystery of God, I must stoke up my faith. Otherwise,
what should cause hope and courage will only wind up becoming a stumbling
block for me. Only a sincere and generous faith in Christ enables me to take
the circumstances of life in hope, confidence and security.
2.
Running to the Experience of Faith: Running is an integral part of this
Gospel. Mary Magdalene runs. Peter runs, and John outruns Peter. Love for the
Lord creates a sense of urgency. What they saw at the tomb could have been
seen without running at all. But promptness is a sign of love for the Lord.
If I wish to experience Christ and the power of his resurrection, I need to have
a sense of urgency in my relationship with the Lord. I must strive to meet
him and give myself to him in my here and now. I can’t wait for the “ideal”
moment. If I don´t give myself to Christ now, under the present conditions,
there is no reason to think I ever will.
3.
Faith Begins with the Experience of the Senses, but Does Not End There: John, Peter and Mary
Magdalene will eventually have an unshakeable conviction in the Resurrection,
and become messengers of the Resurrection. But they first need to see the
empty tomb and pick up the wrappings. They would also need to see and touch
the risen Christ. All this would cause wonderment, reflection, and eventually
a growing realization that would induce faith. God works in the same way in
my life. First there are the lived experiences of my life: people I meet,
circumstances I face, events that occur… Then my wonderment and reflection on
what it all means. Then the slow dawning of faith.
“It is
clearly evident that Christ´s resurrection is the greatest Event in the
history of salvation, and indeed, we can say in the history of humanity,
since it gives definitive meaning to the world. The whole world revolves
around the Cross, but only in the resurrection does the Cross reach its full
significance of salvific Event. The Cross and Resurrection constitute the one
paschal mystery in which the history of the world is centered. Therefore
Easter is the Church´s greatest Solemnity. Every year she celebrates and
renews this Event, fraught with all the prophecies of the Old Testament,
beginning with the "Protoevangelium" of the Redemption, and of all
the eschatological hopes and expectations projected towards the
"fullness of time", which was realized when the Kingdom of God
definitively entered human history and the universal order of salvation”
(John Paul II, General Audience, March 1, 1989).
Conversation
with Christ: >Lord Jesus, you know how to prepare your disciples to
experience your presence deeply and know you intimately. I ask today for a
deepening in my faith in your resurrection. Let all the events of my life
point me to the truth that you are alive.
Resolution:I will be prompt in
meeting the duties and responsibilities of today, in the truth of the risen
Christ.
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SUNDAY,
MARCH 31
SOLEMNITY OF EASTER SUNDAY: RESURRECTION OF THE LORD
JOHN 20:1-9
(Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Psalm 118; Colossians 3:1-4)
KEY VERSE: "He saw and believed" (v 8).
READING: The night was over and the morning light of the new creation
was beginning to dawn. In the garden of the resurrection, Mary Magdalene came
to the tomb while it was still dark, grieving over the death of her beloved
Lord. When she discovered that the stone closing the entrance to the tomb had
been rolled away, she feared that the body of Jesus had been stolen. Mary ran
to tell Peter and John. The two disciples raced to the tomb to see for
themselves. John (the "disciple whom Jesus loved," Jn 20:2), arrived
first and peered into the empty tomb. The shroud was still there; the body had
not been stolen. Then John allowed Peter, the elder Apostle, to enter the tomb
first and see for himself. Peter was slow to understand the meaning of the
empty tomb, but John was convinced of Christ's resurrection; he "saw and
believed" (v 8). Like John, we see no physical evidence of Christ's
resurrection, yet we know in faith that he is alive in the world and in the
hearts of all who believe in him.
REFLECTING: Where will I discover the Risen Lord today?
PRAYING: Risen Lord, thank you for bringing your light into the darkness
of our world.
NOTE: Following an ancient
tradition, the Church regards the eight days (an octave) from the Paschal Feast
of the Resurrection to the Second Sunday of Easter as a single unit of
celebration. The preface for Easter day is prayed again on the Second Sunday of
Easter even though it is a week behind us: "We praise you with greater joy
than ever on this Easter day." The celebration of the liturgy is full of
joy at the close of the octave of this greatest feast! The Easter season of 50
days continues through the Seventh Sunday of Easter (Celebrated as the
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord in some dioceses).
This
is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad
The
teaching of scripture is that he must rise from the dead.
It is
appropriate that, on this day, the Holy Father should deliver Easter greetings
in more than sixty languages to the vast crowd assembled in St Peter’s Square,
for Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is not only the very foundation of our
Christian faith and hope but also good news for the whole of humankind.
We affirm our belief in this great mystery of God’s love, sadly sometimes
rather perfunctorily, every time we say the Creed. Like Mary Magdalene, Peter,
John and the other disciples who were graced by the presence of the Risen
Christ, we are called to give joyful and grateful witness to this faith by our
daily lives. Truly, in St Augustine’s
words, ‘We are Easter people and ‘Alleluia’ is our song.’
Lectio: Easter of the Resurrection of the Lord (C)
Lectio:
Sunday, March 31, 2013
To see in the night and believe for
love
John 20, 1-9
1. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit
Lord Jesus
Christ, today your light shines in us, source of life and joy. Send the Spirit
of love and truth, so that, like Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, we too may
discover and interpret in the light of the Word, the signs of your divine
presence in our world. May we welcome these signs in faith that we may always
live in the joy of your presence among us, even when all seems to be shrouded
in the darkness of sadness and evil.
2. The Gospel
a) A key to the reading:
For John, the
Evangelist, the resurrection of Jesus is the decisive moment in the process of
his glorification, indissolubly linked with the first phase of this
glorification, namely his passion and death.
The event of
the resurrection is not described in the spectacular and apocalyptic details of
the synoptic Gospels. For John, the life of the Risen One is a reality that
asserts itself silently, in the discreet and irresistible power of the Spirit.
The fact of the
faith of the disciples is announced, "While it was still dark" and
begins through the vision of the material signs that recall the Word of God.
Jesus is the great protagonist of the story, but he does not appear personally.
b) The text:
1 Now on the
first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still
dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
2 So she ran,
and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and
said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not
know where they have laid him."
3 Peter then
came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both
ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; 5 and
stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6 Then Simon
Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths
lying, 7 and the napkin, which had been on his head , not lying with the linen
cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 Then the
other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and
believed; 9 for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from
the dead.
c) A subdivision of the text for a
better understanding:
Verse 1:
introduction and events prior to the description of the situation;
Verse 2: Mary’s
reaction and the first announcement of the newly discovered fact;
Verses 3-5: the
immediate reaction of the disciples and the interaction among them.
Verses 6-7:
verification of the event announced by Mary;
Verses 8-9: the
faith of the other disciple and its relationship with the Sacred Scriptures.
3. A moment of interior and exterior
silence
to open our
hearts and make room within for the Word of God:
- A slow
re-reading the whole passage;
- I too am in
the garden: the empty sepulchre is before my eyes;
- I allow Mary
Magdalene’s words to echo within me;
- I too run
with her, Peter and the other disciple;
- I allow
myself to be immersed in the joyful wonder of the faith in Jesus Christ, even
though, like them, I do not see him with my bodily eyes.
4. The gift of the Word to us
* Chapter 20 in John: this is quite a fragmented text where
it is clear that the editor has intervened several times to put the stress on
some themes and to unify the various texts received previously from preceding
sources, at least three sources.
* The day after the Sabbath: it is "the first day of the
week" and, in Christian circles, inherits the sacredness of the Jewish
Sabbath. For Christians it is the first day of the new week, the beginning of
the new time, the memorial day of the resurrection called "the day of the
Lord" (dies Domini).
Here and in
verse 19, the Evangelist adopts an expression that is already traditional for
Christians (e.g.: Mk 16: 2 e 9; Acts 20: 7) and is older that the expression
that later became characteristic of the first evangelisation: "the third
day" (e.g.: Lk 24: 7 e 46; Acts 10: 40; 1Cor 15: 4).
* Mary Magdalene: This is the same woman as the one
present at the foot of the cross with other women (19: 25). Here she seems to
be alone, but the words in verse 2 ("we
do not know") show that the original story, worked on by the
Evangelist, told of more women, as is true of the other Gospels (cfr Mk 16:
1-3; Mt 28: 1; Lk 23: 55-24, 1).
However the
synoptics (cfr Mk 16: 1; Lk 24: 1), do not specify the reason for her visit to
the sepulchre, seeing that it inferred that the rite of burial had already been
carried out (19: 40); perhaps, the only thing missing is the funereal
lamentation (cfr Mk 5: 38). In any case, the fourth Evangelist reduces to a
minimum the story of the discovery of the empty sepulchre so as to focus the
attention of the reader on what comes after.
* Early, while it was still dark: Mark (16: 2) says something different,
but from both we understand that it was the very early hours of the morning,
when the light is very weak and still pale. Perhaps John stresses the lack of
light in order to contrast symbolically the darkness-lack
of faith and light-welcoming of the
Gospel of the resurrection.
* The stone had been taken away from the
tomb: the Greek work is
generic: the stone had been "taken
away" or "removed" (different from: Mk 16: 3-4).
The verb to
"take away" recalls Jn 1: 29: the Baptist points Jesus out as " Lamb who takes away the sin of the world".
Perhaps the Evangelist wishes to recall the fact that this stone "taken
away", flung away from the sepulchre is the material sign that death and
sin have been "taken away" by the resurrection of Jesus?
* So she ran and went to Peter and the
other disciple: Mary
Magdalene runs to those who share her love for Jesus and her suffering for his
atrocious death, now made worse by this new discovery. She turns to them,
perhaps because they were the only ones who had not run away with the others
and remained in contact with each other ( cfr 19: 15 e 26 - 27 ). She wants to
share at least with them this final pain of the outrage committed against the
body.
We see how
Peter and the "beloved disciple"
and Magdalene are characterised by a special love that unites them with Jesus:
it is indeed reciprocal love that makes them capable of sensing the presence of
the loved person.
* The other disciple, the one whom Jesus
loved: is someone who
appears only in this Gospel and only beginning with chapter 13, when he
exhibits great intimacy with Jesus and deep understanding with Peter (13:
23-25). He appears at every decisive moment of the passion and of the
resurrection of Jesus, but remains anonymous and many theories have been
advanced on his identity. He is probably the anonymous disciple of the Baptist
who follows Jesus together with Andrew (1: 35.40). Since the fourth Gospel
never speaks of John the apostle and keeping in mind that this Gospel of
recounts details clearly known to an eyewitness, the "disciple" has
been identified with John the apostle. The fourth Gospel has always been
attributed to him even though he may not have materially written it, yet the
origin of this particular tradition is that this Gospel and other writings are
attributed to John. This also explains why he is someone who is somewhat
idealised.
"The one whom Jesus loved": It is clear that this is an addition not
from the apostle, who would not have dared boast of having such a close
relationship with the Lord, but from his disciples who wrote most of the Gospel
and who coined this expression after reflection on the clearly privileged love
between Jesus and this (cfr 13: 25; 21: 4. 7). Where we read the simpler
expression "the other disciple" or "the disciple",
obviously the editors did not make the addition.
* They have taken the Lord out of the
tomb: these words,
which recur in verses 13 e 15, show that Mary was afraid that body-snatchers
had taken the body, a thing common then, so much so that the Roman Emperor had
to promulgate severe decrees to check this phenomenon. In Matthew (28:11—15),
the chief priests use this possibility to discredit the fact of the
resurrection of Jesus and, eventually, to justify the lack of intervention on
the part of the soldiers who guarded the tomb.
* The Lord: the title "Lord" implies an acknowledgement of divinity and evokes divine
omnipotence. That is why this term was used by Christians for the risen Jesus.
Indeed, the fourth Evangelist uses this term only in Paschal stories (see also
20: 13).
* We do not know where they have laid
him: these words recall
what happened to Moses, whose place of burial was unknown (Dt 34: 10). Another
implicit reference is to the words of Jesus himself when he says that it is
impossible to know where he was going (7: 11. 22; 8: 14. 28. 42; 13: 33; 14:
1-5; 16: 5).
* They both ran, but the other disciple
outran Peter…but he did not go in: This passage shows the anxiety that these disciples were living
through.
The fact that
the "other disciple" stopped, is more than just a gesture of
politeness or respect towards someone older, it is the tacit acknowledgement
that Peter, within the apostolic group, held a place of pre-eminence, even
though this is not stressed. It is, therefore, a sign of communion. This gesture
could also be a literary device to move from the event in terms of faith in the
resurrection to the following and peak moment in the story.
* The linen cloths lying and the
napkin…rolled up in a place by itself: although the other disciple did not go in, he had already
seen something. Peter, crossing the entrance of the sepulchre, discovers the
proof that no theft of the body took place: no thief would have wasted time to
unfold the body, spread the cloths in an orderly fashion (on the ground would be translated better by "spread out"
or "laid carefully on the floor") and then to roll up the napkin in a
place by itself. Such an operation would have been complicated also because the
oils with which the body had been anointed (especially myrrh) acted like glue,
causing the cloths to stick perfectly and solidly to the body, almost as what
happened to mummies. Besides, the napkin is folded; the Greek verb can also
mean "rolled", or it could indicate that that piece of light cloth
had, in large part, preserved the form of the face over which it had been
placed, almost like a mortuary mask. The cloths are the same as those cited in
Jn 19:40.
Everything is
in order in the sepulchre, even though the body of Jesus is not there, and
Peter was well able to see inside the sepulchre because the day was breaking.
Different from Lazarus (11: 44), then, Christ rises abandoning completely his
funerary trappings. Ancient commentators note that, in fact, Lazarus had to use
the cloths again for his definitive burial, while Christ had no further use of
them because he was not to die again (cfr Rm 6, 9).
* Peter…saw…the other disciple…saw and
believed: at the beginning of the story, Mary also "saw".
Although some translations use the same verb, the original text uses three different
verbs (theorein for Peter; blepein for the other disciple and Mary
Magdalene; idein, here, for the other
disciple), allowing us to understand that there is a growth in the spiritual
depth of this "seeing" that, in fact, culminates in the faith of the
other disciple.
The anonymous
disciple had certainly not seen anything other than that which Peter had
observed. Perhaps he interprets what he sees differently from others because of
the special relationship of love he had with Jesus (Thomas’ experience is
emblematic, 29: 24-29). In any case, as indicated by the tense of the Greek
verb, his is still an initial faith, so much so that he cannot find ways of
sharing this experience with Mary or Peter or any of the other disciples (there
is no further reference to this).
However, for
the fourth Evangelist the double "see and believe" is quite
meaningful and refers exclusively to faith in the resurrection of the (cfr 20:
29), Because it was impossible to believe truly before the Lord had died and
rose (cfr 14: 25-26; 16: 12-15). The double vision-faith, then, characterises
the whole of this chapter and "the beloved disciple" is presented as
a model of faith who succeeds in understanding the truth about God through
material (cfr also 21: 7).
* As yet they did not know the
Scripture: this
obviously refers to all the other disciples. Even for those who had lived close
to Jesus, then, it was difficult to believe in Him, and for them, as for us
also, the only gateway that allows us to cross the threshold of authentic faith
is knowledge of the Scriptures (cfr Lk 24: 26-27; 1Cor 15: 34; Acts 2: 27-31)
in the light of the events of the resurrection.
5. A few questions to direct our
reflection and its practice
a) What, in the
concrete, does it mean for us "to believe in Jesus the Risen One"?
What difficulties do we encounter? Does the resurrection solely concern Jesus
or is it really the foundation of our faith?
b) The
relationship that we see between Peter, the other disciple and Mary Magdalene
is clearly one of great communion in Jesus. In what persons, realities,
institutions do we today find this same understanding of love and the same
"common union" founded on Jesus? Where can we read the concrete signs
of the great love for the Lord and "his own" that inspired all the
disciples?
c) When we look
at our lives and the reality that surrounds them, both near and far, do we see
as Peter saw (he saw reality, but holds on to them, that is, to the death and
burial of Jesus) or do we see as the other disciple saw (he sees facts and
discovers in them signs of new life)?
6. Let us pray asking for grace and
praising God
with a hymn
taken from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians (paraphrase of 1: 17-23).
The God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a
spirit of wisdom and of revelation
in the
knowledge of him,
having the eyes
of your hearts enlightened,
that you may
know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the
riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and what is the
immeasurable greatness of his power
in us who
believe, according to the working of his great might
which he
accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and made him
sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all
rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every
name that is named,
not only in
this age but also in that which is to come;
and he has put
all things under his feet
and has made
him the head over all things for the church,
which is his
body,
the fullness of
him who fills all in all.
7. Closing prayer
The liturgical
context is of great importance in praying this Gospel and the event of the
resurrection of Jesus, which is the hub of our faith and of our Christian life.
The sequence that characterises the Eucharistic liturgy of today and of the
whole week leads us to praise the Father and the Lord Jesus.
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled
has sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
Combat strangely ended!
Life’s own Champion, slain,
Yet lives to reign.
Tell us Mary:
say what you see upon the way.
The tomb the living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
Shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
He goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen from the dead
we know.
Victorious king,
your mercy show.
We may conclude
our prayer also with this lively invocation by a contemporary poet, Marco
Guzzi:
Love, Love, Love!
I wish to feel, live and express all
this Love,
Which is a joyful commitment in the
world
and a happy contact with the others.
Only you free me, only you release me.
And the snows fall to water
the greenest of valleys in creation.
