Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 6, 2021
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.
The emotional rollercoaster of Holy Week seems to play out for us once again in the experience of Mary Magdalene in today’s gospel. The narrative begins with Mary weeping, as we were weeping on Good Friday, and ends with Mary proclaiming the risen Lord, as we did on Easter Sunday.
Mary Magdalene is sometimes called the “first apostle” or the “apostle to the apostles” because she is the one, at Jesus’ command, who announces the resurrection to Jesus’ closest followers. I think the fact that Mary embraces her strong emotional experience is part of the reason that she holds this honor. The first line of this reading indicates that she “stayed outside the tomb weeping.” Apparently, the others had let. But, in her grief, she remained. What’s more, “as she wept, she bent over into the tomb.” Her emotion was so strong that it physically led her into the tomb of Christ, and that made all the difference. It was only once she did this that she saw that everything had changed: Christ was not there.
When the risen Lord calls her name and she eventually recognizes him, her joy is so great that she physically holds on to him. Jesus has to convince her to let go of him so that he can ascend to the Father! She calls him “Teacher” and we see that Jesus is teaching her that the meaning of his resurrection is proclaiming his Good News, not trying to keep Jesus all to ourselves.
Sometimes we think of emotion as a weakness, an impediment to faith, or something to hide from the world. Today, Mary Magdalene shows us that the opposite is true. We may weep tears of sorrow or we may weep tears of joy, but let us always say: “I have seen the Lord.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, by appearing to her as risen and uttering her name, you transformed Mary Magdalene’s grief and sent her to proclaim the news that you were alive. Help us to hear you tenderly speak our names, so that we may know your living presence, and also know ourselves made new by the resurrection. You live and reign with the Father and Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Peter of Verona was famous for moving people with his preaching and miracles and was eventually killed because he proclaimed the truth so effectively.
Peter was born in the year 1205 in Italy, and when he went to study at the University of Bologna, he was offended by the behavior of his classmates. At the same time, he met the great St. Dominic and decided to follow him and entered the Order of Preachers.
Peter dedicated himself whole-heartedly to religious life—he spent his days in study or prayer or serving the sick. He grew into a successful preacher and traveled the region speaking to crowds.
He was falsely accused of scandalous behavior, and was exiled to a distant monastery until his name was cleared. He nearly despaired from the crisis, complaining that he had done nothing to deserve this trial. The insight came to him that Christ did not deserve his passion and death, and this thought restored his courage. When his name was cleared, he was even more effective as a preacher.
His eloquence and wisdom encouraged those struggling with their faith and brought back those who had wandered. He often spoke against those who professed to be Christian with their words, but who did not support those beliefs with their behavior.
He was given the gift of working miracles to accompany his preaching, and so many people were eager to hear him and be near him that he was often nearly crushed by the crowds that rushed together when he appeared.
In 1234, the pope appointed Peter as an inquisitor for the territory around Milan, which gave Peter an even wider context in which to defend and promote the faith. In addition to his preaching, he confronted heresy and reconciled those whose beliefs had strayed from the Church's.
His efforts created a number of enemies, as can be imagined, and they soon began to threaten his life. When he preached on Palm Sunday in 1252, he announced that a price had been placed on his head. “Let them do their worst,” he said. “I shall be more powerful dead than alive.”
On this date in 1252, Peter was traveling with another Dominican brother through the woods between towns when they were followed by assassins. One of the killers, a man named Carino, struck Peter on the head with an axe. Peter fell to the ground, wounded terribly but still conscious. Carino then attacked Peter’s companion. Peter began to recite the Apostle’s Creed before he was struck again and killed (which is why he is depicted with the word credo above, “I believe”). The other Dominican brother died five days later.
Carino, the assassin, fled to a distant town but was overwhelmed with shame at his actions. He repented of his crime and turned from the heresy that had inspired his opposition to Peter. He even later joined the Dominicans himself and was remembered as a holy man when he died.
Peter was canonized less than a year after his death, the fastest canonization ever. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus. Some calendars mark his feast on April 29, and he is also known as Peter the Martyr.
St. Peter of Verona, you were the wonder-working preacher who was assassinated for opposing heresy—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Peter of Verona is an illustration by Notre Dame alumnus Matthew Alderman '06, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of his art. Used here with permission.