TUESDAY IN THE OCTAVE WEEK OF EASTER - Gospel (John 20:11-18) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (Jn 20:17)

FIRST READING - Acts 2:36-41

A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles

On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people,

“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain

that God has made him both Lord and Christ,

this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,

and they asked Peter and the other Apostles,

“What are we to do, my brothers?”

Peter said to them,

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you,

in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins;

and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is made to you and to your children

and to all those far off,

whomever the Lord our God will call.”

He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,

“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

Those who accepted his message were baptized,

and about three thousand persons were added that day.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 20:11-18

From the Gospel according to John

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.

And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb

and saw two angels in white sitting there,

one at the head and one at the feet

where the Body of Jesus had been.

And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,

and I don’t know where they laid him.”

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,

but did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?

Whom are you looking for?”

She thought it was the gardener and said to him,

“Sir, if you carried him away,

tell me where you laid him,

and I will take him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”

which means Teacher.

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.

TUESDAY IN THE OCTAVE WEEK OF EASTER - Gospel (John 20:11-18)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

 Dear People of God,

The Word of God for today reveals that Mary Magdalene was a person who loved God above all things. Her soul and heart was always devoted to God, to her Teacher. That love was clearly shown when she went to visit the body of the Teacher: when she did not see the body of her Teacher, she cried bitterly. She saw her Teacher standing there, and she thought He was the gardener. He asked, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” How happy Mary Magdalene must have been, because her own Teacher, the One she was looking for, asked her that question directly. Her love was rewarded by God when He showed her the One she was longingly searching for, when He called her by name: "Mary!" This was the name she had heard the Teacher call her every day, so she realized that it was Jesus who was calling her.

How happy are those whose hearts are opened by God to recognize the God of love who is coming to them! Only with sincere love and reverence for the One you love can you meet Him. The greatest desire of man is to see God, to be close to Him, to feel His love. Because of Mary's passionate love for Jesus, God came to her soul. And how happy she was to be the first person to see the resurrected Lord and also the first person God sent to proclaim to His disciples: "I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, man is united with God. Man is happy to be His child and to be with Jesus Christ, the source of life, the One who gives love and perfect happiness to man.

Today, God invites His children:

• Seek God and stay with Him, so that He can let you meet Him, so that He can make you feel how happy it is to have God's love for you.

• Listen to His teachings: go out and preach the Word of God to those around you, so that they can also enjoy God's happiness, like the image of Mary Magdalene, who listened to the Teacher's words and went to proclaim to her brothers the Words He had taught.

• Only when God's love comes to people and there is a response of people's love to Him, can we meet Him.

Now, He also wants His children to obey, like Mary Magdalene, to go out and preach the Christ who died and rose again to save people.

Thanks be to God. Amen.