Pope Benedict said. “A disciple of Christ is one who,

in the experience of human weakness, has had the humility to ask for his help,

has been healed by him and has set out following closely after him,

becoming a witness of the power of his merciful love that is stronger than sin and death.”

 

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

Song of Songs 3:1-4b (2 Corinthians 5:14-17)

On my bed at night

I looked for the one I love, I sought him without finding him; I called him and he did not answer. I will rise and go about the city, through the streets and the squares; I will seek the love of my heart...

I sought him without finding him; the watchmen came upon me, those who patrol the city.

 

"Have you seen the love of my heart?"

As soon as I left them, I found the love of my heart.

 

Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

 

＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊ 

John 20:1-2, 11-18

Now, on the first day after the Sabbath, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark, and she saw that the stone blocking the tomb had been moved away. She ran to Peter, and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and she said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have laid him."

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb; and as she wept, she bent down to look inside. She saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, and the other at the feet. They said, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She answered, "Because they have taken my Lord and I don't know where they have put him."

As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize him. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and answered him, "Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and take him away."

Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned, and said to him, "Rabboni!"-which means Master. Jesus said to her, "Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them: I am ascending to my Father, who is your Father, to my God, who is your God."

So Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord, and this is what he said to me."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"I have seen the Lord."

In today's Gospel, Mary Magdalene bore witness to the risen Lord. The words that she uttered, proclaiming that she had seen the Lord, mirrors her deep relationship with the Lord Jesus. We may reflect on the message of today's Gospel that focuses on Mary Magdalene's proclamation with regard to what she saw. 

This proclamation resulted from Mary Magdalene's journey of faith characterized by a movement from simple seeing to seeing with observation to seeing with faith. In John 20:1-18, there are three different Greek verbs, "to see," used to describe Mary Magdalene's journey of faith.

The first is blepō, which simply means "to see." The second is theoreō, which means "to see with observation." Third is horaō, which means "to see with the eyes of faith." We may reflect on the point that among the all the characters in John 20:1-18 (cf. Peter and the Beloved Disciple), it was Mary Magdalene who made a journey of faith. Like Mary Magdalene, we are also called to take a similar journey of faith. There is a need to deepen our way of seeing the Lord. We are called to see Jesus through the eyes of faith.