Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, “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/042225.cfm
Mary Magdalene is extremely important to the gospel story. She is the “Apostle to the Apostles.” Her words to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” are the same words that Saint Paul will use much later to describe his experience of the Risen Lord (1 Cor 9:1). We pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace!
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 of the Octave of Easter
