The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to act upon our experience of intimate contact with Jesus to announce the fullness of life to the people in our environment.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents the First Converts in Jerusalem.
* [2:38] Repent and be baptized: repentance is a positive concept, a change of mind and heart toward God reflected in the actual goodness of one’s life. It is in accord with the apostolic teaching derived from Jesus (Acts 2:42) and ultimately recorded in the four gospels. Luke presents baptism in Acts as the expected response to the apostolic preaching about Jesus and associates it with the conferring of the Spirit (Acts 1:5; 10:44–48; 11:16). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 33 praises the Greatness and Goodness of God.
* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene.
* [20:11–18] This appearance to Mary is found only in John, but cf. Mt 28:8–10 and Mk 16:9–11.
* [20:16] Rabbouni: Hebrew or Aramaic for “my master.”
* [20:17] Stop holding on to me: see Mt 28:9, where the women take hold of his feet. I have not yet ascended: for John and many of the New Testament writers, the ascension in the theological sense of going to the Father to be glorified took place with the resurrection as one action. This scene in John dramatizes such an understanding, for by Easter night Jesus is glorified and can give the Spirit. Therefore his ascension takes place immediately after he has talked to Mary. In such a view, the ascension after forty days described in Acts 1:1–11 would be simply a termination of earthly appearances or, perhaps better, an introduction to the conferral of the Spirit upon the early church, modeled on Elisha’s being able to have a (double) share in the spirit of Elijah if he saw him being taken up (same verb as ascending) into heaven (2 Kgs 2:9–12). To my Father and your Father, to my God and your God: this echoes Ru 1:16: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” The Father of Jesus will now become the Father of the disciples because, once ascended, Jesus can give them the Spirit that comes from the Father and they can be reborn as God’s children (Jn 3:5). That is why he calls them my brothers. (John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that in today’s gospel from John, Jesus is presented as appearing to Mary who holds on to Jesus after firstly had thought him to be a “gardener”.
We pray today with the Divine Gardener Who has embraced His Humanity and in His Resurrection, divinely embraces our humanity in His new garden. He talks to this woman with her arms around Jesus’ feet. He doesn’t banish her, but missions, sends, invites, her, Mary, to be the first announcer of the Good News. Intimacy here, is temporary, real and as with all experiences of intimacy, shared to be re-shared. In the text, Mary does not resist or ask questions about anything. She is missioned to share with His companions who, like Adam and Eve, were hiding out of fear and shame. Intimacy is meant to be fruitful.
The Gardener sends Mary to His (com-pan-ions) each day of His Eucharistic embrace of our Humanity. As with His meeting His mother and this first-sent woman, we shared the “Bread”, the Latin word is (panish) so companions are those who “bread-with). This Bread, this intimacy is meant to be sent within us and then outside of us. (Gillick, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The Easter Alleluia,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Because there are these two periods of time - the one that now is, beset with the trials and troubles of this life, and the other yet to come, a life of everlasting serenity and joy - we are given two liturgical seasons, one before Easter and the other after. The season before Easter signifies the troubles in which we live here and now, while the time after Easter which we are celebrating at present signifies the happiness that will be ours in the future. What we commemorate before Easter is what we experience in this life; what we celebrate after Easter points to something we do not yet possess. This is why we keep the first season with fasting and prayer; but now the fast is over and we devote the present season to praise. Such is the meaning of the Alleluia we sing." (excerpt from commentary on Psalm 148, 1-2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 2:36-41 comments that in his 1975 apostolic exhortation on evangelization, Pope St. Paul VI described it this way: “The Holy Spirit places on [the evangelizer’s] lips the words which he could not find by himself, and at the same time the Holy Spirit predisposes the soul of the hearer to be open and receptive to the Good News” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75).
Never underestimate the power of the Spirit! He is always with you, ready to give you courage and boldness. And he always goes ahead of you, preparing the hearts of the people you will meet today. The more you learn to yield to him, the more powerfully you’ll see him work.
“Holy Spirit, teach me how to share the power and promise of the gospel!” (Meditation on Acts 2:36-41, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the account of the proclamation of Peter of the kerygma that called for baptism and forgiveness of sins in which a large number of people responded. The two angels with Mary Magdalene in the Tomb represent the number required to give witness. Friar Jude notes that when the Good Shepherd calls our name, we recognize Him as Mary, proto-apostle did in the Garden.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Author Debie Thomas who describes why our belief in Jesus’ resurrection matters.
In other words, I believe in heaven because I believe in God’s salvation for the children who have died and will die in elementary school classrooms because the United States worships guns. For the millions around the world who died of the coronavirus before vaccines were developed. For Black, brown, Indigenous, gay, and transgender Americans who live in perpetual fear of violence and recrimination on our streets. For the young people who live under the shadow of mental illnesses that modern medicine can’t yet alleviate. For casualties of war around the world. For people in chronic pain…. For all these people … I need to know that, while we have every obligation to alleviate suffering in this world, the salvation of God’s precious children does not, finally, depend upon our clumsy efforts.… (Rohr, n.d.)
We, like Mary Magdalene, are to announce our experience of intimacy with the Love of Christ as we live out our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/2?36
Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/040224.html
John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?11
Meditation on Acts 2:36-41. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/02/928855/
Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?4
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Resurrection Fuels Hopeful Action. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/resurrection-fuels-hopeful-action/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Have Seen the Lord! Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr2
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