 On that first Easter morning there was tremendous rejoicing in Heaven as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, arose from the dead. His Resurrection brought clarity and truth: Alleluia! He is Risen! There is no doubt of the victory! However, for the apostles it was not so; for them the day began with deep sorrow and incredible confusion. They were troubled, frightened, unsure of what to do next. Despite this, Mary Magdalene left her home and headed for the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus whom she believed to be lying there. (John 20:1-18) She had been at the cross, had witnessed His last breath, and was there as His body was taken from the cross and laid in the tomb. So when she got there and found the tomb open and empty, it must have been quite startling; she may have felt this was yet one more indignity leveled at Jesus, adding another layer of grief upon her soul. But suddenly someone was there. (The gardener, perhaps?)* Through her tears she could not see distinctly, but when He said her name, “Mary,” she instantly recognized Jesus and proclaimed, “Rabboni!” In one moment everything became clear; even if she did not have understanding of the mystery, her heart was full. That one word she uttered was so steeped in joy and love that it was all she needed to say: Rabboni!  In the interchange between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, there were two pivotal moments. The first was in Jesus saying her name, revealing an intimacy on both the human and divine level.** The second was even more important, however. After they greeted each other, Mary embraced Jesus in some way and Jesus said, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father….” Jesus indicated that He was still in the process of Resurrection and it was not yet complete. There seems to be deeper truth revealed in His strange refusal to be touched in that moment: we have to let go of what we have, sometimes our deepest loves, in order for something greater to transpire. Holding on thwarts the process and keeps it from being completed. It takes the most profound level of trust to let go in this way. It is not only what Jesus was teaching, but it is also what He is asking of us.  Just as many have suffered losses through death, our family lost a dear loved one just prior to Holy Week. It made no sense, as death often does not, but difficult as it is to lose someone who is beloved, it has been clear that the Lord is present. In the midst of everything, including grief, is a lesson from the Lord who also knew what it was like to lose a loved one. Remember, Jesus experienced the loss of His foster father, Joseph; He also lost His dear friend Lazarus, (John 11), something so shocking and so difficult for Jesus that He wept openly. He must have entered into mourning on many occasions which are simply not recorded in Scripture. As His mission progressed, Jesus had to let go of everything to the point of giving up His life in order that we might live. He preached numerous times about not clinging to things, such as when He told the rich young man to sell all he had in order to follow Him. Unfortunately the young man was unable to do so, failing to understand that Jesus was not speaking specifically of his assets, but his attachments, everything and everyone whom he put before God.  Trusting God when we lose a loved one, however, is the most difficult thing we are ever faced with. The pain does not ever go away, though it transforms, (and it transforms us), as we learn how to coexist with it through faith and prayer. What we learn from the encounter of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is that we must let go so that greater things can happen. It is not like Mary Magdalene's clinging to Jesus would have stopped His resurrection; even death could not do that! But what it would have prevented is a more profound acceptance of mystery and love that she could only enable if she let go. That is, Jesus had to ascend to Heaven to complete something greater than had already begun. So, too, do we have to allow that ‘something greater,’ profound mystery that is only accomplished by our letting go. God’s wisdom and ways are so beyond ours that in saying “Do not cling to me,” Jesus is asking for our trust in Him and in the promise that one day all will be revealed. His act of infinite love desires, and perhaps longs for, our response of profound love in return. Only by joining the wounds in our heart with the wounds He bore in His hands, feet, and side, will they be transformed into the strength of new life only He can give.  This Easter let us rejoice in the Resurrection no matter what confusion we bring to the tomb. Let us allow Jesus to be present in His glory, and for His love to illuminate our faith so that we can be comforted after whatever experiences life has put upon us. We will continue to struggle through whatever comes our way on our journey, but we know without a doubt that He is Risen, that everything in this life is mystery, that we will one day enter into eternal life where all will be explained, and that Jesus is ever offering His presence, His grace, and His mysterious, unfathomable love. As Jesus says our name, in response let us cry out, “Rabboni!”  May we offer our love freely, unabashedly, and abundantly! May we rejoice in our Risen Lord, glorifying Him by our lives! And may it be obvious to others that we are Jesus’ disciples, people of the Resurrection! Let us meet rejoicing at the empty tomb! Alleluia! Peace!
©Michele L. Catanese Dedicated to our cousin Seth, with love. * To be clear, I have condensed the passage about Mary Magdalene going to the tomb because of the point I was trying to make, which is the theme of this entry. In John 20:1-18 Mary first sees the empty tomb and runs to find Peter and John without entering it herself. She remained at the tomb after they went inside, saw it was empty and then left to tell the other apostles. It was at that point that she encountered two angels who inquired why she was weeping. As she replied to them, Jesus came to her in the interchange I highlighted. Please do meditate upon this passage. It is deeply moving and profound. ** Regarding the first pivotal moment in this passage, as both human and divine Jesus loved Mary Magdalene in both ways: He loved her as His friend in an authentically human way, but He also loved her divinely, with a love beyond comprehension because He was her God. In this passage the two ‘levels’ of love are expressed in one word: “Mary.” Mary’s response, “Rabboni,” revealed love that was quite different from the love of Jesus, but profoundly love nonetheless. Her love was only of human origin, but with two ‘dimensions:’ she loved Jesus as dear friend, but also as her God. Our love for God and His for us is actually the exact same as that of Jesus for Mary Magdalene, and hers for Him. Images: 1. My photo; Sunrise at Port Aransas, Texas. 2. Fresco Painting; Nolo Mi Tangere, by Blessed Fra Angelico (1425-1430) 3. Icon; St. Lazarus of Bethany, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/st-lazarus-of-bethany-william-hart-mcnichols.html 4. My photo; Pelican in Flight. This was taken at a pond near my home. I love pelicans; they are the most graceful birds when they are in flight. But they are also a Christian symbol since they will feed their young on their own blood if they cannot find food, just as Jesus gave His body and blood to give us life. 5. Painting; Resurrection, by Matthias Grünewald. (1512-1516) This is a panel on the Isenheim Altarpiece. For an interesting article on this work of masterful piece of artwork, go to https://www.kellybagdanov.com/2021/03/31/grunewalds-resurrection-from-the-isenheim-altarpiece/ 6. Watercolor painting; The Garden in Giverny, (Jardin de l'artiste à Giverny) by Claude Monet. (1900) Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. Comments are closed.
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