PRI Reflections on Scripture • 7-22-24 - Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

Gospel

John 20:1-2, 11-18

On the first day of the week,

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,

while it was still dark,

and saw the stone removed from the tomb.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter

and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,

"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,

and we don't know where they put him."

Mary 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 Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,

"I have seen the Lord,"

and then reported what he told her.

Reflection

Many people look at this passage and saying that Jesus gave great dignity to women. And the disciples, I think especially Peter, was confused as to why Jesus would reveal that he rose from the dead to a woman. But what we see in this story also is something about the nature of what it means to be a believer. And Mary Magdalene had a deep, deep conviction in who Jesus was, and it was because she understood him.

Because women have this side to them is so beautiful. They have empathy, they have care, they have a nurturing side. Men have it also, but it's much more developed in women. And so when you see Mary and Jesus together, you know that there was something about them that's so similar. She had a lot of love to give to him and to the others.

That's why you see so many women engage more in spirituality. I give a lecture in as more women in the room, I go to church, there's more women in the room. And that's not a bad thing at all, it just means that men are still in the process, and we all are, of finding the balance. We're all masculine. We're all feminine, and we see that happening more and more today in our world.

Closing Prayer

Father, at the heart of everything you teach is a simple statement. Love. Love yourself. Love God. Love your neighbor. And love doesn't mean liking everyone, it doesn't mean being friends with everyone, it means you want the best for every person because you see them as God sees them. Beautiful, eternal creatures, sometimes damaged, sometimes not. But they have a dignity that God has given them that we must pay attention to. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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