When I am Like Mary Magdalene: Even Sinners have Rights
Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9
There is a huge consolation that comes from reading the gospel of today because of Christ’s resurrection. In Christ, and because of his death and resurrection, a new dawn of grace has arrived. This new dawn, according to the gospel, is “the first day of the week”. Christians have a new day, which is now known as Sunday. This “first day of the week” inaugurates the effects of Christ’s resurrection as the dispelling of the darkness of sin and death, and has given way to the light of Christ, the Rising Sun of God bringing happiness and forgiveness to our lives. The power of the resurrection opens the door for a new evangelization, an evangelization championed by the disciples and apostles of Christ all over the world. In fact, this new evangelization has sinners as its new recruits and adherents. It is an evangelization by repentant sinners or should I say, it is the testimony of repentant and forgiven sinners to the power of love, the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ. With the resurrection of Christ, every sinner has a hope of a share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yes, the hope of a life beyond the grave finds its concretization in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is easy and consoling to focus today’s homily on the person of Jesus and the power of his resurrection, and the glorification that comes with it. Our attention could fondly be drawn to the end of suffering and the imminent Ascension of Jesus to his Father, where the vicissitudes of earthly dwelling will be over with. This desire and temptation to center on Jesus make sense especially when one is a Nigerian surrounded by Boko Haram, marauding cattle herdsmen and the Buharization of the Nigerian economy masquerading itself as an angel of light! As it were, those who suffer look for immediate alchemy and spontaneous liberation. For me, however, the image of Mary Magdalene captivates me because I read my life in hers – I am a sinner in need of resurrection from my sins. Moreover, the feast of Divine Mercy follows that of the Resurrection (Easter), reminding us of God’s compassion for sinners.
For those of us who are like Mary Magdalene, doubly condemned by the society because we are sinners and by our consciences because our sins stare us in the face, day in day out, we look for a different kind of resurrection – resurrection from our sins, which comes with consolation to our consciences and acceptance from our brothers and sisters that we are making efforts to change our ways with the help of God’s graces. The resurrection of Christ, which clothed Jesus with supernatural powers that enabled him to enter a house through locked doors without hindrance, and to eat smoked fish, when he was hungry, and ascend to heaven body and soul, arouses my hope and expectation of a day when my sins and the temptations to sin will give way to ceaseless praise of God and perpetual immaculateness of life.
The journey of Mary of Magdala, all the way from northern Israel, the region of Galilee, down to Jerusalem, in the region of Judea, crossing the region of Samaria, tells a story of a sinner making frantic efforts to secure salvation and liberation from her sins. For Mary Magdalene to have embarked on a journey of several kilometers to Jerusalem tells a tale of conversion and forgiveness of sins as a struggle that takes efforts, love and deep sacrifices. The struggle with sin is just not over until it is over! According to my GPS, the journey from Migdal (Magdala) to Jerusalem today takes 3 hours by car and it covers 174 km. Imagine Mary Magdalene traveling those kilometers on foot to Jerusalem to attend the Passover. Imagine her chagrin to witness what befell Jesus, probably the only man who ever considered her a human being deserving of love, respect and friendship. No wonder she was the first at the tomb on Easter morning – Mary Magdalene was returning the love she experienced from Jesus by being there for him.
The physical distance Mary Magdalene had to cover speaks also to the spiritual distance that needs to be bridged between a sinner and God; that distance talks of the energy to be expended in order to attest to and reach salvation, for those who decide to embark on a journey of repentance. In fact, the journey of Lent, 40 days and nights, provide us with an excursus on the combat with sin and the search for the resurrection from sin and the demand for pardon by a sinner. The good news is that it is Jesus, after his resurrection, who opens the eyes of sinners to the immensity of sin and the stupendousness of the grace and the power of forgiveness. It was still dark, when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. Her meeting with Jesus gave her a new job, she became an apostle to the apostles; her past condition was forgotten, she is a daughter of God, worthy of love and trust.
This Easter and at every Easter, we celebrate the rights of sinners to love, forgiveness and respect because they too are children of God. Every Mary Magdalene or sinner has a right, the right to be forgiven as God has forgiven us all in Christ! Easter morning is the feast of sinners, their resurrection from the dead to a new life and chance as sons and daughters of God. Our first reading gives testimony to God’s love for sinners when it says, through the mouth of Peter, “We are witnesses of all that Jesus did”; what Jesus did was to accept, love and respect sinners; Jesus died and rose again for sinners. Jesus’ resurrection is not an encouragement to sin, but the conferment of the enthusiasm to work for conversion and to return the love of God to us in his Son’s death and resurrection just as Mary Magdalene did.
The attitude of a sinner is what is explained to us in the second reading – “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God”. There is one fundamental reason for this new lifestyle because “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God”. To be alive is to be indebted to Jesus for his compassion and forgiveness every day; to be a child of God is to keep working out one’s salvation continually: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:12-13). It is Jesus who is victorious over sin, leaving us an example of how to become conquerors in our turn. As Paul says, we need to keep working at our salvation every single day: “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:26-27).
As a forgiven and repentant sinner, this is our chance to bear testimony to the love of Christ that instead of death, we received life, in the place of condemnation, we received justification and grace upon grace. Yes, we are qualified, even as sinners, to preach the good news of salvation to others, especially our follow sinners; henceforth, you and I are missionaries and preachers of God’s forgiveness and love.
Let us conclude with a story. “There is a story that comes out of the Bedouin culture. ‘Bedouin’ is the Aramaic name for ‘desert dwellers.’ These people live much as the characters of the Old Testament did. During a heated argument, according to this story, a young Bedouin struck and killed a friend of his. Knowing the ancient, inflexible customs of his people, the young man fled, running across the desert under the cover of darkness, seeking safety.
He went to the black tent of the tribal chief in order to seek his protection. The old chief took the young Arab in. The chief assured him that he would be safe until the matter could be settled legally.
The next day, the young man’s pursuers arrived, demanding the murderer be turned over to them. They would see that justice would prevail in their own way. ‘But I have given my word,’ protested the chief.
‘But you don’t know whom he killed!’ they countered.
‘I have given my word,’ the chief repeated.
‘He killed your son!’ one of them blurted out. The chief was deeply and visibly shaken with this news. He stood speechless with his head bowed for a long time. The accused and the accusers as well as curious onlookers waited breathlessly. What would happen to the young man? Finally the old man raised his head. ‘Then he shall become my son,’ he informed them, ‘and everything I have will one day be his.’
The young man certainly didn’t deserve such generosity. And that, of course, is the point. Love in its purest form is beyond comprehension. No one can merit it. It is freely given. It is agape, the love of God. Look to the cross. At the cross we encounter love in its purest form.”
Hallelujah, you are a child of God and a citizen of heaven, for that story is yours and mine!
Assignment for the Week:
Could you give yourself a treat because of your newly acquired citizenship of heaven as son/daughter of God through the death of Christ!