Today’s Gospel touched me. It invited us on a pilgrimage to an exceptional place. Together with Mary Magdalene, we made a pilgrimage to Jesus’s tomb. I must admit that I admire Mary Magdalene. Her heart was drawn to the tomb where Jesus had been taken from her. She could not forget what Jesus meant to her. I believe that, in addition to the love in her heart, she went there in pain, as evidenced by her tears. Why do I dwell on the pilgrimage to Jesus’s tomb? It is not a pleasant place.
Mary Magdalene did not find much hope in that place, and the apostle and evangelist John spent some time showing us the effect it had on her. She was consumed by her tears, pain, and sorrow, and did not notice the angels. She did not recognize the voice of her Lord behind her. She thought he was a gardener. I find this beautifully symbolic. How many times in our lives do we experience sadness? And we cannot see properly. This Gospel invites us on a journey of faith. Part of that journey is what happens when Jesus gently and tactfully pronounces Mary Magdalene’s name. ‘Mary!’ She hears her name as Jesus himself pronounced it. Then everything comes back to her. Suddenly, she realizes that Jesus is alive for her again. He has addressed her in an extremely personal way.
For me, this is an extremely rare moment of realization: how often in Scripture do we encounter God personally addressing a person? How little we believe that he could address us personally. We consider ourselves distant from God. Yet the opposite is true. This journey is intended to convince us that God wants to address us personally. He desires to personally address us and instill within us a renewed sense of faith and hope, despite the pain and sadness we may be experiencing in our lives. Let us acknowledge the pain and sadness that we have experienced over the last few years. How many of us have left churches because of the sadness brought about by the pandemic? How many of us still grapple with unanswered questions when we inquire about the reasons behind the current prevalence of wars? This sadness prevents us from believing. And yet Jesus endured all this to tell us: ‘Despite all this, I can overcome it and conquer it.’ The world needs this faith.
Please let God address us and give us the faith to bring to this world. Don’t talk to him about everything you hate, the hard things, or the things that are different from what you want. Let us be people who believe in Him. I was wonderfully surprised that the moment when Jesus and Mary recognize each other is so brief. The evangelist John doesn’t pause for breath before Mary Magdalene hears: ‘Don’t delay me! I must go to my Father.’ This reminds me of the moments in life when we feel as though we are holding God back. I believe her and sympathize with her desire to stay with Jesus and share his joy. But Jesus turns her eyes away when he tells her, ‘You know, I am traveling to my Father and your father. I would like you to travel with me.’ How many times in life do we allow ourselves to be stopped? Today, on the road, I found myself asking many times: ‘God, why is there traffic again? Why is the traffic light red again? Why do I have to take this detour when it’s harder? Why are these cars holding me back?” Then I asked myself: ‘And don’t you sometimes hold God back, too?’
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There are numerous great things that He desires to accomplish through you, yet you hinder His work! You want to cling to something you like. I remember opening the parish door some time ago to find a young mother standing there. She said she wanted her child baptized. I said, ‘Great! When will we do it?’ But she said, ‘I don’t want to baptize a child, I want to baptize myself.’ I paid closer attention and asked: ‘Can you tell me why you want to be baptized?’ Her answer has stuck in my memory: ‘You know, I’ve been watching the families in this parish very closely. I see how they live and how they raise their children. I really like it. I would like to have a family like that at home. I think it has something to do with the Lord God.’ At that moment, I was proud to have people in the parish who would not hinder this young mother’s journey to God. This is exactly what is needed. We must allow God to guide us to the heavenly Father.
In today’s Gospel, I was surprised by one more thing. Jesus does not stop, but tells Mary Magdalene, ‘Now you need to go to your brothers and sisters.’ They need to hear this.’ As Christians, we have a great privilege – we have been allowed to know God. I believe that we have experienced many beautiful things with God. Many people around us do not know this. Recently, I came across a sociological study from our environment and our country that says strange things. It says that although we are in an atheist country, two-thirds of people pray, even if they do not believe.
I once visited a mayor who declared himself an unbeliever and said, ‘Mr. Pastor, when difficult times come, I pray too.’ What surprised me more in that study was that one-third of people admitted that they knew Christians and had found the courage to talk to them about faith. But the other two-thirds never found the courage to do so. I thought: what an opportunity this is to be so open that someone could ask us about our faith! So that they could say: ‘Please, why do you believe?’ I need to know.’ Perhaps that’s what we owe to the world around us. Jesus asked Mary Magdalene for this openness. If I were to summarise today’s Gospel, I would say that we sometimes avoid places that seem difficult and don’t look for God there. Yet, in the most challenging of times, God wishes to be with us.
Like at the tomb with Mary Magdalene. Perhaps we are often happiest when life remains unchanged. When everything is settled and contented. Yet God invites us always to follow his Father so that we are not afraid to move forward. So that we don’t hold him back. Perhaps we are also ashamed to talk about our faith. We consider it a private matter and believe individuals should decide it. Yet so many people are waiting for us to hint at what we live by. We don’t need to use grand words; we can say, ‘You know, I feel this way.’ Sometimes, this is enough for our loved ones. I ask for the courage that Mary Magdalene had, for you and for me. I ask for the courage she had to allow herself to be drawn into by Jesus.
During Easter, we often hear about how Jesus wished for peace wherever he went. ‘Peace be with you.’ Today, I also ask you to bring peace to your families, workplaces, and schools. The world is in dire need of Christ’s peace. As his disciples, you must bring peace wherever you go. May God accompany you with his blessing.
