HOMILY TUESDAY OCTAVE OF EASTER – Yr II
Believe, Grieve, Repent and Live in the Spirit
(Acts 2:36-41; Ps 33; Jn 20:11-18)
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Can you guess what three elements arise from the readings that will enhance our experience of Easter?
To deepen our experience of Easter, the readings today suggest believe, grieve and repent, then we can truly live in the Spirit.
The first action we are invited into by all the resurrection appearances of Jesus is to have faith in him and believe he is truly risen from the dead. Satan, sin and death have been overcome; their power has been broken. Recall how Pilate was talked into placing an imperial seal on the tomb to assure the body of Jesus would not be stolen by his disciples. When Jesus rose from the dead and the tomb was thrown open, that Roman seal was rendered in two. That was actually what we would call today a federal offence, the violation of an imperial seal. What divine irony – Jesus, who habitually broke the Sabbath laws during his ministry, actually broke the Roman law in rising from the dead!
Surprisingly, perhaps for some, the second action we are invited into by today’s gospel is to grieve and mourn our losses, as a way to experience greater Easter joy in our lives. When Mary recognized Jesus, in her enthusiasm, joy and delight, she gave him a great big hug, so much so that Jesus had to tell her, “Do not cling to me, Mary.” Those words are important, with great meaning. Mary thought she had Jesus back the way he was before, but that was not so – the Jesus of history, through his resurrection from the dead, has now become the Christ of faith. Jesus was the same, yet he was different.
Jesus had risen, not just back to life again, so that he would have to die again, but to a completely new life, eternal life, the very life he now wanted to share with Mary, but she could not receive that new spiritual life if she clung to him physically. Jesus was actually teaching Mary, and all the disciples, to grieve and mourn his loss, to let him ascend to the Father, as he tells them, and then he would send them his Spirit to be with them in a new way. This is what he did at Pentecost – as we hear in the first reading. They were then filled with his Spirit, and no longer missed him at all. To the contrary, they were full of joy, courage, and a confidence that could not be contained, as exemplified in Peter’s words in that first reading, his first sermon in his life!
When asked what they must do in response to this earth-shattering event of the resurrection, Peter responded they should first of all believe that this crucified Jesus was now Lord of all creation and the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus was Kyrios, the real Lord to be adored and glorified, and not the emperor of Rome. That was revolutionary language. He was also the Messiah, the one the Jewish leaders refused to believe could possibly be the fulfillment of their messianic hopes.
That faith would lead them to repent, to change their whole belief system, to do metanoia, to put on their highest mind and now be brand-new persons in this new-found faith and life. They would then also be filled with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, that had transformed the fearful band of believers huddled in the upper room behind locked doors, into the courageous, fearless, joyful and free people they were all witnessing.
Coming back to Mary, we see her playing another important role. Jesus appears to her first, then makes her the apostle to the apostles, as he sends her to tell them she has seen the Lord. Why do you think Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene first, and not directly to the apostles?
I firmly believe it is because she who had seven demons cast out of her, knew Jesus the most, was closest to him, because she was the one who had most deeply experienced who he was as the Messiah and Lord, the one sent to redeem and to sanctify, to forgive and heal. That experience qualified her to be the first to see him, and to announce the resurrection. That falls in line with others famous biblical figures – starting with Moses who was the first to break the ten commandments during his violent reaction to the idolatry of the people, the King David who lusted, committed adultery and arranged a murder, Peter who denied Jesus, the apostles who all abandoned him, and Paul who was a murderer. All these also experienced the forgiveness and mercy of God, and of Jesus, which qualified them all for leadership in the church.
The Eucharist, as Pope Francis likes to stress, is not a reward for holiness, but medicine for sinners. As we ponder God’s word today, may our faith in Jesus as Risen Lord and Crucified Messiah be strengthened, our ability to grieve and mourn our losses be fortified, and our spirit of repentance be deepened, so that we might experience the joy of Easter more fully and be, like Mary, witnesses to the resurrection.
