Gospel Lectio Divina for The Resurrection of the Lord - April 9, 2023
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she 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 don’t 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. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
MEDITATE
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
Even Mary of Magdala did not believe at first. Even she suspected that the body was stolen. We live in a culture where defending ourselves is a common practice. The quickest way to get rich is by suing someone, and many people take advantage of that. Perhaps it’s just human nature to assume someone has offended us or our beliefs before believing that something good actually happened. Before Mary believed that Jesus rose from the dead, she believed someone stole his body, which would have been a great offense to all believers. It’s human nature to believe the worst possible scenario first, and when we do our first reaction is often to do everything we can to right the wrong. We are, in this way, guarding ourselves from having our hopes shattered. Mary may have hoped that Jesus rose from the dead, but she was reluctant to believe it because she didn’t want to get her hopes up. She took the safer route, which we all often do, and erred on the side of the worst-case scenario–that the body was stolen–instead of the best-case scenario which actually wound up being the truth.
Or perhaps we can meditate on another interpretation. Maybe she thought other Christians stole the body to make others believe he rose from the dead, just like Jesus’ enemies said they would do. But the tomb was guarded and the stone was quite large. It would have been more logical to believe that by “they”, Mary meant the guards. She probably believed at first that the guards hid the body to prevent Christians from stealing it and hiding it themselves.
In either case, Mary did not let herself believe Jesus rose from the dead. That would have been too good to be true, and she couldn’t let herself hang her hopes on something so incredible. So she believed someone had deeply offended her and fellow believers.
What would happen if we just let ourselves hope a little more than usual for a change? The common adage is, “Hope for the best, but expect the worst.” Jesus–through his teachings, deeds, and resurrection–invites us to not fear hope.
He bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
There is so much significance in this one line. It may sound like some minute details to the Resurrection narrative, but look a little closer. John did not go in. Why? What a moment that must have been for him. All of his hopes rested upon Jesus being who he said he was. As he arrived at the tomb, he was probably stricken with a dilemma in his mind. If he walked in to observe the tomb to try and figure out what happened, his belief might be shattered if he found some clue that indicated the body was stolen. But then again, if Jesus’ body was not stolen, then he stood on the cusp of everything he believed to be true. As he stood outside the tomb, he stood on the edge of Jesus’ promises being proved true or false.
I can’t imagine the fear he must have felt in that brief moment, but I can slightly relate. I often avoid situations that may prove that everything I believe is false. I could take a pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, or Our Lady of Lourdes, or countless other pilgrimage sites where proof of divine intervention are on display. But I haven’t gone to any of these places. It’s a theme that runs throughout my whole life. I know that in the end I simply have to have faith. At the same time, there is always a way out of believing. The proof of miracles will always give you some little loophole to let you not believe because God respects our free will and he doesn’t want to deny us the chance to not believe in him.
And yet, there is something about John’s reaction upon approaching the empty tomb that will always get to me. I can identify with his reaction so much. I also want to keep a distance from God’s power. I deny myself his graces often because I feel I don’t deserve them. Part of me also thinks it might be better to wait for the time to be right. If I keep my distance, God can then come to me in some indisputable way, I tell myself. But, just like Mary and John, I really just fear that my faith will be shattered from discovering that my beliefs are not true. I speak a great deal about proving our faith because that is the real crux of the matter. As St. Paul says, if Jesus did not rise from the dead then those who believe in him are all fools. What would happen if I just let myself believe, though? What would happen if I just let go, took the leap of faith; or, in John’s case, entered the tomb?
On another note, John mentions that the burial cloths were left behind. By this little detail, we can infer that Jesus left the tomb naked, just as Adam was naked in the Garden of Eden. When he left the tomb naked, Jesus was the firstborn of the New Creation. He walked in the garden where he was buried just as Adam walked in the Garden of Eden, where death entered the world. The Gospel goes to great lengths not to assume anything. Rather, all four Gospel writers demonstrate the truthful events that occurred that affirm the hopeful vision of our destiny that Jesus taught.
Lastly, it says “he bent down”. I don’t know if this was to better observe what he was seeing or if it was out of homage for what he was witnessing. Whatever the case, the latter reason would have been more appropriate even if it was done inadvertently.
And he saw and believed.
John seems to be highlighting this statement by the way he positions it in his recollection of Jesus’ Resurrection. It’s almost as if his whole Gospel is leading up to this line. He loved Jesus, which was proven many times even before this moment, but especially when he accompanied Jesus at the Cross. He said he believed once he saw the burial shroud and went inside the tomb, but he had important elements of belief before that. He was working toward fully believing, but in that moment he was all in. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that Jesus was the Son of God. He stood inside the tomb, a place of death, and there he was born into new life.
I can just picture John writing this passage, coming to this line and perhaps shedding a tear. It all led to this. The years of following Jesus, all the doubt and hardships, and being right beside him as he died, all were worth it.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
They did not understand, but I like to imagine that somewhere in their minds they had hoped that Jesus was immortal. Who wouldn’t? Deep down inside we all want to never die. That was God’s original plan, and the desire is still in us. Jesus alluded to the fact that he would rise from the dead, thereby planting that seed of hope. But faith and hope must come before understanding, and it is that faith and hope that then provides a strong foundation for our understanding. So Peter and John may not have understood that Jesus had to rise from the dead, but they did hope and probably also wanted to believe it. None of us simply want to die. Even if we do want to die, it’s only because we want something better–a better life, or a stronger purpose for living perhaps. Jesus provides that. If we believe that, he will lead us on the path to eternal life.
PRAY
Jesus, Resurrected Lord,
You are the God of life. This spring we celebrate your resurrection because you are the spring of new life. You created the seasons, you invite us to embrace your creation and to become part of your new creation. Jesus, eternal son of the Father, I want nothing more than to participate in the eternal life you offer us. I know this requires great sacrifice, and I am weighed down by other desires and sins. My deepest desire is to live in heaven with you for eternity. Help me to keep in touch with this–the greatest of all desires–this Easter season so I may achieve a closer walk with you. Please, I am frail and incapable of sustaining this desire under my own power. Only by giving my life to you and by letting you live through me can the divine life shine through me. In the name of Jesus, I pray. -Amen.
LISTEN
Mary came to Peter and John telling them that Jesus’ body was gone. By listening to her and running in haste to see if what she said were true, their faith was affirmed. People tell stories testifying to the works of God in their lives all of the time. These testimonies can often help us believe. Why not listen more closely to the ways God is working in other people’s lives? We can take this Gospel and use it as a lens through which we see other people’s lives. Sometimes God is working in our lives in ways we don’t understand, and other people can misinterpret his actions, just as Mary saw the empty tomb and assumed that someone stole Jesus’ body. God is always working in our lives, even if we don’t understand how at the moment. Sometimes we have to run to the tomb, or pursue the truth of someone’s testimony, to see what’s really going on. I have found that when we listen and search for the truth with a stout and genuine heart, God will always lead us to a deeper understanding of him and his works.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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