Today’s passage begins with “On the first day of the week…” In Jesus’ time, the Jewish calendar considered the Sabbath (Saturday) as the last day of the week. This was based on the Old Testament understanding of creation, when God rested on the seventh day and blessed it. Although most of the world today views Monday as the first day of the week, in the Judeo-Christian tradition and ancient Jewish custom, Sunday is seen as the first day.
When I reflected on this reading, my first thought was of Mary of Magdala. Putting myself in her shoes, she probably wasn’t able to sleep all night because her Lord and God had just been crucified. Sometimes the Lord uses that quiet early morning time, while it is still dark and before the world takes over our thoughts, to speak to our souls. Perhaps He nudged her to go see the tomb, so she jumped up because the urge wouldn’t go away. She finds the tomb open. With her heart racing, she runs back to Peter and the other disciple to tell them what she saw.
Then Simon Peter and John (the other disciple) rush quickly to the tomb, their minds filled with confusion. John gets there first, looks inside and sees the burial cloths, but doesn’t go in. Then Peter arrives, in a heightened state of mind, wondering, “Where is my Lord?” He goes into the tomb and John follows him. John enters, sees, and believes.
By leaving the headcloth neatly folded and set aside, Jesus shows them that His body was not robbed, nor was there any violence or ransacking. He gave them this sign to show the disciples and Mary of Magdala that He had risen voluntarily, of His own accord.
The last sentence of this passage reminds us that they did not yet understand the Scripture that He had to rise from the dead. We have the gift of already knowing this, for we have the Bible, the Word of God, giving us reason to rejoice.
For Mary Magdalene, Jesus was her life and her salvation. Even amid fear and uncertainty she ran to Him. We can also have that same relationship with Jesus. He is waiting for us to simply ask and to listen for His whisper: “I Am” and “I love you.” This Easter, let us run to our Risen Lord and respond “Here I am” and “I love you too.”
El pasaje de hoy comienza con “al amanecer del primer día de la semana…”. En tiempos de Jesús, el calendario judío consideraba el sábado como el último día de la semana. Esto se basaba en la comprensión del Antiguo Testamento sobre la creación, cuando Dios descansó el séptimo día y lo bendijo. Aunque la mayor parte del mundo hoy considera el lunes como el primer día de la semana, en la tradición judeocristiana y la antigua costumbre judía, el domingo se considera el primer día.
Cuando reflexioné sobre esta lectura, mi primer pensamiento fue en María Magdalena. Poniéndome en su lugar, probablemente no pudo dormir en toda la noche porque su Señor y Dios acababa de ser crucificado. A veces, el Señor usa ese momento tranquilo de la madrugada, mientras aún está oscuro y antes de que el mundo invade nuestros pensamientos, para hablar a nuestras almas. Quizás Él la impulsó a ir a ver la tumba, así que ella se levantó de un salto porque el impulso no desaparecía. Encuentra la tumba abierta. Con el corazón acelerado, corre de regreso a Pedro y al otro discípulo para contarles lo que vio.
Entonces Simón Pedro y Juan (el otro discípulo) corren rápidamente hacia la tumba, con la mente llena de confusión. Juan llega primero, mira dentro y ve las telas funerarias, pero no entra. Luego llega Pedro en un estado de gran agitación, preguntándose: “¿Dónde está mi Señor?” Entra en la tumba y Juan lo sigue. Juan entra, ve y cree.
Al dejar el sudario cuidadosamente doblado y a un lado, Jesús les muestra que su cuerpo no fue robado, ni hubo violencia ni saqueo. Les dio esta señal para mostrar a los discípulos y a María Magdalena que había resucitado voluntariamente, por su propia cuenta.
La última frase de este pasaje nos recuerda que aún no entendían la Escritura que decía que Él tenía que resucitar de entre los muertos. Nosotros tenemos el don de saber esto, porque tenemos la Biblia, la Palabra de Dios, que nos da motivos para regocijarnos.
Para María Magdalena, Jesús era su vida y su salvación. Incluso en medio del miedo y la incertidumbre, corrió hacia Él. Nosotros también podemos tener esa misma relación con Jesús. Él está esperando que simplemente le pidamos y escuchemos su susurro: “Yo soy” y “Te amo”. En esta Pascua, corramos hacia nuestro Señor resucitado y respondamos: “Aquí estoy” y “Yo también te amo”.
Marti Garcia’s passions are her retired life and growing deeper in her Catholic faith. Marti is a Sacristan/EM, facilitates small groups, and assists as a First Communion Catechist for parents. Being a parent educator and writer for 35 years, she recently published a children’s chapter book on Amazon, The Ladybugs. You can find her at her blog: MartiGarcia.org, or thewaterisshallow.com, or her cohost podcast, findingacommonthread.com, which is coming soon.
Feature Image Credit: Lexi Laginess, unsplash.com/photos/brown-rock-formation-during-daytime-ci1F55HaVWQ
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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