Suffering is love.
In faith we find hope despite tragedies that strike; especially as we offer our suffering to Christ for the good of others. Death too contains hope through the lessons of Jesus the Christ that life does not end in death, but unites us with Him for all eternity. As Christians our faith is founded on hope and amazement, the seeds of joy for us.
The apostolic foundation of our faith in Christ begins at a tomb and goes backward in time to His birth. For the Easter celebration is the summation of the purpose and life of Jesus the Christ. Easter is the essence of that which takes us beyond death and suffering and is linked to those who first witnessed the empty tomb. Their witness and amazement transcends millennia and becomes a matter of our faith. The ending of our Easter Sunday Gospel from John addresses faith testimony of hope in death through the empty tomb.
“…and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” JN 20:8a-9
The Good News witness of Mary Magdalene, Peter and John echoes hope with the resurrection of Jesus through the empty tomb. Imagine being Mary Magdalene and the other women that came to the burial cave that day. They had heard the promise of Jesus that on the third day, the Son of Man would be raised from the dead by the Powers of God. They had heard his promise to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” They had heard Jesus teach, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will never die.” Nevertheless, on that morning when they came to the grave, they came expecting death in spite of all of Jesus’ promises—and they were amazed and found hope.
Upon hearing Mary Magdalene’s resurrection proclamation Peter went to see for himself—who could blame him for that– such startling news! Peter, who denied the Lord several times, runs to the tomb in hope and is amazed at what had happened. Isn’t it just like Jesus to give such a magnanimous reward to someone who denied knowing him—several times? We too are also recipients of such magnanimous love from the Lord, despite our denials of him. And like Peter, we are called to proclaim the promises of new life in the Risen Lord.
While Peter and John authenticated the words of Mary Magdalene, where would the church be without her? For all the gospels are unanimous in making Mary Magdalene the first to witness the miracle that is the foundation of our faith: He has been Raised! Such testimony by Mary Magdalene has also earned her a special place in our Church. In early Christian communities, she was seen as a woman of courage and wisdom. For bravely bearing witness of Jesus’ resurrection Mary Magdalene is called the “Apostle to the Apostles”. That title was officially affirmed at Vatican II both in the Catholic missal of 1969 and by St. Pope John Paul II in his 1988 encyclical Dignitatum Mulieris.
Not she with traitorous kiss her Master stung,
Not she denied Him with unfaithful tongue;
She, when Apostles fled, could dangers brave,
Last at the Cross, and earliest at the grave.
(credited to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
Mary of Magdala is the first Christian Preacher, and patroness of preachers. She is the patroness of all who have preached the Gospel in countless ways throughout Christian millennia. Such a proclamation of faith may not always come with absolute conviction. Maybe you’ve experienced moments of doubt. And Jesus overcomes that doubt as you look across the church and see someone you know who is suffering even more. It is their heroic strength and faith that overcomes our doubts. We all encounter many saints in our parish. Isn’t it just like Jesus to continue to show us love through the love and faith witness of one another.
The lesson of the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus recurs repeatedly: We cannot be truly happy or joyful on our own. Our Easter celebration reminds us that God continues to break through and do the impossible: offer His sacrificial love. Through such an unimaginable intimacy with us God teaches us that Christ’s suffering is offered as LOVE—immeasurable love for us!
Rejoice and Happy Easter! from Your Parish Staff and Fr. Gordon