Reading
Jn 20:2-8
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
Meditation
Jesus' death was a public act, but his resurrection is privately revealed to his close friends and through them will be announced to the world. Their experience, however, is initially that of the empty tomb. Only the direct encounter with the Risen One will lead to the fullness of faith and to the understanding of what the Scriptures proclaimed.
The love of Mary Magdalene - she that loves so much because she has been forgiven so much (Lk 7:47) - is as strong as her death (Ct 8,6), overcoming the scandal of the Cross and the bewilderment of the tomb. Peter and John run to verify her words for themselves. Faith is animated by the desire to experience the truth firsthand.
We are all called to personally confront the mystery of the resurrection. John who arrives at the tomb first, but after having found what Mary Magdalene said awaits the arrival of Peter, testifies to the solidarity that must exist among believers: whoever reaches a goal first on the paths of the spirit awaits those who are left behind.
It is necessary to bend down towards the opening of the tomb to see the signs of life that has overcome death: humility is an indispensable condition for progressing in the knowledge of the risen Christ. It is then necessary to have the courage to enter the empty tomb, to overcome the fear of loss, to experience a detachment from everything, freeing oneself from all craving for appropriation and possession, not only of earthly things, but even of spiritual consolations.
The risen Jesus will not be recognized immediately by his disciples, but only at the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:30-31). By nourishing ourselves with him in faith we will be able to taste that fullness of life that the stone of the tomb could not hold back.
Prayer
Grant us, Lord, to run on the path of your commandments, to be transformed from glory to glory and to participate in your holiness. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
