Homily for Easter Sunday

Homily for Easter Sunday
April 24, 2011
John 20: 1-9
St. Vincent's Hospital, Harrison, N.Y.

“Mary of Magdala…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’” (John 20: 2).

My brothers and sisters, what we preach is called “the Good News,” which is what Gospel means, literally. Let’s consider why it’s “good” news.

1st, consider who the characters are in today’s gospel story. There’s Mary of Magdala, Mary Magdalene. There’s Simon Peter. There’s the Beloved Disciple.

Mary, Peter, and John at the empty tomb.

From the "Via Lucis" in the Basilica of St. John Bosco at Colle Don Bosco, Castelnuovo (Piedmont)

Concerning Mary of Magdala, 1st forget anything you’ve seen in The DaVinci Code or Jesus Christ Superstar. Then forget the bad rap that she’s gotten over the centuries as a terrible sinner—a prostitute, presumably. All the gospels tell us specifically about her is that Jesus had cast 7 demons out of her, that she was one of several women who traveled with Jesus and the apostles (Luke 8:1-3), that she stayed with him at his crucifixion and burial, and that she was one of the women who discovered the empty tomb on Sunday morning.

Evidently she was very, very devoted to Jesus. The fact that he’d had to heal her of demonic possession, or perhaps of some very serious psychological disorder, makes her an interesting choice for a 1st witness of the resurrection of the Savior of the world, doesn’t it?

Simon Peter is the leader of the apostles. Mary runs to him 1st for that reason, and the Beloved Disciple defers to him about entering the tomb probably because of that. But this is the same Simon Peter who 36 hours earlier was denying that he even knew Jesus, and at the crucifixion was nowhere to be found. Another interesting choice to be one of the 1st at the empty tomb.

The Beloved Disciple—we don’t even know his name. Ancient tradition identifies him as John, one of the 2 sons of Zebedee who were Jesus’ closest companions among the apostles, and as the author of this gospel. But in truth we don’t know that for certain, and modern Scripture scholars have used gallons of ink writing about the question of his identity. What we do know is that he was courageous and loyal, sticking with Jesus at the crucifixion, and that Jesus entrusted his mother to his care. Of the 3, he’s the only one we might figure as a logical choice to testify that Jesus had been raised. But he’s anonymous.

So we have a woman who’s been either possessed or deranged, a coward, and a dear and loyal friend without a name. God chooses these people to be his friends. God chooses people who are imperfect, who are sinners, who are unknown. God loves these people. God wants these people who tell the whole world that he loves them—and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the evidence of that love.

Mary of Magdala, Simon Peter, and the Beloved Disciple are like you and me. We’re not perfect. We have problems. We’re sinners. None of us is famous or likely to become famous. Unless you’ve got a fantastic Facebook page, who knows who you are? But God has chosen to love us and chosen us to love him. That’s Good News.

2d, consider that these people, the apostles as well as the faithful women, were skeptics. You all know the story of doubting Thomas; and if you can’t quite remember it, come to church next Sunday, when it’ll be the gospel reading. But Thomas wasn’t the only skeptic. When Mary discovers the big stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, and nothing inside but the burial cloths, what’s she think? Grave robbers have been here! Someone’s stolen the body! Lord knows why anyone would take away a naked body and leave the shroud and head covering behind.

But it’s the only thing that makes sense to Mary—and as the following passage in John’s Gospel (20:11-18) makes clear, she persists in this supposition. Someone came overnite and removed Jesus’ body. No one—not even Jesus’ closest friends—expected him to come back to life. The Beloved Disciple is the 1st one to start to put the pieces together when he sees the empty tomb and the burial cloths (20:8). That Mary of Magdala, Thomas the apostle, and the others all had to be convinced that he was indeed risen, he IS alive, makes it convincing to us, too, who haven’t seen him, haven’t spoken viva voce with him. They became so convinced that they told the whole world, and they were willing to die rather than ever again run away from Jesus or deny knowing him. That’s Good News.

A little side note: Speaking of the slowness of all of them to believe, St. John writes, “They did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (20:9). We can’t understand Jesus and can’t truly know him unless we take up the Scriptures—the Old Testament, Paul’s letters, and especially the Gospels—and study them, read them prayerfully, asking the Spirit to Jesus who inspired the sacred writers also to inspire us to understand them and come closer to Jesus thru them.

3d, consider what it means that Jesus is alive. He’s offered us the forgiveness of our sins, God’s friendship, eternal life. He said that when he was lifted up, he’d draw all humanity to himself (John 12:32). That lifting up was both his crucifixion, his being uplifted on a cross, and his resurrection and ascension to the Father’s side—where he’s calling us, drawing us. He’s welcomed us back into God’s family (made us God’s children, as we’ve so often heard) by wiping away our sins and embracing us with God’s love. The eternal life that he now enjoys is given to us too when we believe in him, accept his gift of forgiveness, and follow him in our way of life. That’s Good News too—the very best news.

Christ's resurrection, and the women at the tomb, by Fra Angelico