Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

“Noli Me Tangere”
by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1524

Readings for Tuesday in the Octave of Easter [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Acts 2:36-41
 
On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people,
"Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified."
 
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other Apostles,
"What are we to do, my brothers?"
Peter said to them,
"Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is made to you and to your children
and to all those far off,
whomever the Lord our God will call."
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,
"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.
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Commentary on Acts 2:36-41
 
The selection from Acts continues the “First Discourse” with the exultation kerygma [4] by Peter concerning the Messiah. In this section he introduces baptism in the name of Jesus. This is in accord with the instructions of all four Gospels found here for the first time. Peter’s arguments are compelling and we are told that three thousand people accepted the call.
 
We note here also that Peter called for “repentance” in addition to the call to baptism. While baptism washes away past sins, repentance is a call to ongoing conversion of heart. The indelible change in character is a consequence of the gift of the Holy Spirit also given in baptism.
 
CCC: Acts 2:34-36 447, 449; Acts 2:36-38 1433; Acts 2:36 440, 597, 695, 731, 746; Acts 2:38 1226, 1262, 1287, 1427; Acts 2:41 363, 1226
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20 and 22
 
R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20 and 22
 
Psalm 33 is a song of praise and thanksgiving.  In this selection the emphasis is on faithfulness to God who has saving power, combined with hope, a central component of faith in God. The sense of God’s adoption of his chosen ones is expressed as the singer rejoices in the interdependence of the people and God’s love.
 
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Gospel: John 20:11-18
 
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,
and I don't know where they laid him."
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?"
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
"Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni,"
which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
'I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.'"
Mary went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord,"
and then reported what he had told her.
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Commentary on Jn 20:11-18
 
Today we are given St. John’s account of the first meeting between Mary Magdalene and Jesus following the Lord’s crucifixion. It is likely, given her past relationship with Jesus, that Mary throws herself at the Lord, embracing either his knees or feet.  The Lord’s response, “stop holding,” or in other translations “stop touching me” (noli me tangere), may indicate that relationships have changed, that Christ must now let go of earthly ties to assume his Godhead.   In this account, we get a distinct picture that the ascension had not been completed, but the Lord is waiting to deliver his final instructions.
 
There is debate about when the Lord ascended to the Father. Clearly, his last earthly appearance was fifty days following the resurrection. Most scholars believe Jesus ascended immediately following his meeting with Mary depicted here. His return, and his actions from this point to the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11), were to reassure the disciples and to bestow the gift of the Holy Spirit he had promised.
 
CCC: Jn 20:11-18 641; Jn 20:13 640; Jn 20:14-15 645, 659; Jn 20:14 645; Jn 20:16 645; Jn 20:17 443, 645, 654, 660, 2795
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Reflection:
 
It is surprising, while we are still in the Octave of Easter, that the message conveyed by Scripture is not simply one of rejoicing.  It has a very practical message.  Mary Magdalene is weeping at the tomb, capturing the sense of loss initially felt before realization dawned on the disciples about Jesus’ resurrection.  Yet in a temporal shift, we would hear St. Peter exhorting the Jews to repentance.  Yes, he is making his point, primarily about faith in Jesus and the need to accept the cleansing bath of baptism, but beyond that he is exhorting the need for repentance – a change in how they act going forward.
 
Repentance is more than simply saying we are sorry.  True repentance is a fundamental change in how we act, and even think about the world and those around us.  It is conforming ourselves to Christ’s mind in such a way that we react to people with what we will call the “Christ reflex.” 
 
Anyone who has trained for a sport knows that there is something called muscle memory.  That means, when an athlete trains long enough under strict supervision, their muscles automatically perform without conscious thought.  They reflexively act as they were trained.  Repentance means we train ourselves to have the “spiritual memory” of how Christ would react.  Through repetition and coaching we train ourselves to think and act as if Christ were whispering in our ear in real-time.
 
We are an Easter people.  We believe that our Savior came to the world so that we might take his message of love to heart, and to understand that it is God’s will that we apply his example in our lives.  The only way we can do that is to develop the “Christ reflex.”  When we see the poor, the infirm, or the marginalized, our reflex should be love, not fear or revulsion.  When we are wronged, mentally or physically, our reaction must be compassion and forgiveness, not hatred or the desire for vengeance.  It is difficult, this Christ reflex.  And it will not come overnight.  Further we cannot do it in a vacuum.  We need a coach.  Getting a spiritual director is advisable, and having a training partner is also recommended to keep each other honest and on track.  And, of course we need the whole team to cheer us on (that would be our faith community).
 
Our Easter joy is somewhat tempered by the knowledge of how far we must grow to become the disciples the Lord expects.  Now while the echo of the Gloria bells still reverberates, let us make a pledge to work toward that Christ reflex and to accept his challenge and example.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used is “Noli Me Tangere” by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1524.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 45:21, p. 174.