Word to the Wise
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - Octave of Easter - Tues
[Acts 2:36-41 and John 20:11-18]"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. [John]
Throughout the Gospel According to John, Jesus is presented as being conscious of his mission. He has come from the Father and is returning to the Father. He was sent on a mission and, having accomplished it, he would return. Theologians call this an "exitus/reditus" emphasis. Mary Magdalene quite naturally grabs hold to Jesus when she finally recognizes him, but Jesus sends HER on a mission to proclaim HIS mission.
In a way, Mary Magdalen, in this scene, resembles many Christians who would want to grab hold of Jesus and make him strictly personal without understanding his broader mission to all of humankind and the world. There may be those of us who would love to keep Pope Francis among us, but he has accomplished his mission too and "goes to the Father." We are entrusted, by virtue of our baptism, with Jesus' mission, and once that is completed, we, like Jesus, will experience death and enter into eternal life, which is what Jesus came to give us! AMEN