Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he had told her. (Jn 20:11-18)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041922.cfm
Mary Magdalene, unlike the Twelve (now the Eleven) who were hiding for fear, goes to the Tomb. It is there she receives the NEWS . . . and then runs to tell Peter and the Beloved Disciple, which is the gospel story for Easter Sunday. Peter and the Beloved Disciple leave, but Mary Magdalene stays at the Tomb and has the encounter first with the angel, and then with the Risen Lord. And the Lord gives her the apostolic mission to Go and Tell, which she does. And ever since, Mary Magdalene has been known as “the apostle to the apostles.”
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
