XXV, January/February 2019

"Mary ... saw two angels in white" (Jn 20:12)

Dear Brothers in the Priesthood!

The Gospel of St. John is marked with the confrontation of extremes - light and darkness; truth and falsehood – but in the end the full light triumphs in the good. Peter, for example, was confronted by symbolically suggestive "charcoal fire" and the repeated question: "Do you love me?" (Jn 21:9 and 18:18) with respect to his betrayal of the Lord; now he confesses his love and Jesus assured him his trust. St. Thomas doubted and almost reached the gates of hell, but the Lord reached out to him and drew him back into his heart. And there is also Magdalena: she first cried in her despair, but then she was caught by the angels and found her Lord!

"Mary 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'." (Jn 20:11-13)

The event

According to St. John, St. Mary Magdalene was already before at the tomb. She was so disturbed by the removed stone, that she, the "apostle of the apostles," ran to the apostles and told them: "They have taken the Lord from the tomb ..." (Jn 20:2). She must have followed them back to the tomb, because we read: "the dis- ciples returned home. But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping." (Jn 20:10-11) The sensitivity of the holy angels

Here now, while she wept and looked again "into the tomb, she saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been" – so tranquil, peaceful, as if they were waiting for her. It seems that they were not seen by the apostles who examined the place carefully. But now, Mary Magdalene was allowed to see them. They asked her with sensitivity and compre- hension, with fraternal, pastoral love: "Woman, why are you weeping?" Recall the very first word an Angel spoke in Sacred Scripture: "Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" What care the Angels have for us poor human beings. And, even as Hagar gained confidence and confessed her misery – "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai." (Gen 16:8) – so does Magdalena. She seems not to consider that she is speaking with angels, but just with someone who is close and might be able to help: "She said to them, 'They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him.'" True, Magdalen did not ask them, if they took the body away. Nevertheless, it surprises us that the angels don't say more. They don't give her a lesson like, "Why do you care so much ...!" or "What do you want us to do for you?" Remarkable is their silence.

The presence of Jesus

Then, Magdalene turns away towards to the Garden. And there stood Jesus himself before her. Absorbed in her sadness, she does not recognize him. And so he repeats the question of the angels: "Woman, why are you weeping?" But he adds: "Whom are you looking for?"

What a question in this moment and right here before the empty tomb. However, she had no such a critical thought – rather she was like the disciples of Emmaus who remained on their plain of thought and asked him: "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" (Lk 24:18) So having only her Lord in mind, 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'." Much shorter than with the disciples of Emmaus, Jesus just called her by name: "Mary!" When the Son of GOD calls someone by name, all sounds differently, it penetrates through "mark and bone". Mary, in fact, understood him without any further question; she called him, as directly as he called her: "Rabbouni." Here now, the world seems to stand still for her: Creator and creature stand in front of each other, both open to the very depth of their being. There was no question of death or resurrection, there was no garden or angel or apostles, but just "the Lord! – Rabbouni." – We do not know how long this moment lasted. All pain was gone, all questions resolved, all tears swept away, as if eternity opened before her and the everlasting day would begin (cf. Ap 21:4,23). - We are invited to share in such a solemn and beautiful moment at every holy Mass and during Adoration.

The last purification

Mary Magdalene wanted to embrace his feet, as she did before with all her love, and draw him close to her heart! Who wants to accuse her for that? But, Jesus denies her wish: "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father." Is the crying an expression of sadness, manifestation of disappointment, of a sorrowful heart; here it is still the desire of "You for me!" Jesus knows this and, thus wanted to clarify: No, not this way. Detach yourself first, die to yourself, until you can make yourself a gift to others and me, then I can become yours. Make yourself free, and the best way is giving yourself to others and serving them. Therefore, go once more to "my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'." And, she "went and announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord,' and what he told her." (Jn 20:11-18)

The Angels' care

Looking back to this scene, we find the holy angels were first "guards" of what belongs to our Lord: progressively they became "companions" which is almost a second name for the angels, at least with respect to our guardian angel. Thirdly, they became "consolers," comforting and strengthening.

Further, we have to admire their discrete silence and hidden watch of the tomb while the apostles were there, the authoritative representatives of Christ, their Lord. Then, they were seen by Mary Magdalene in the tomb, so well placed, "one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been" (Jn 20:12). They did not cause fear nor did they surprise Mary. They were attentive and cared, sensitive and delicate. Softly they approached the crying woman through a question, although they know the answer better than she does. They irradiated peace; their calm gives testimony to the sovereign victory of Christ.

The angelic priest

We are looking in our meditations for the holy angels as examples in our personal life before God and as models for our priestly ministry. We ask: Is there a special way to live the priesthood under the guidance and according to the example of the holy Angels?

Angelic example and the priestly munus

As Priests we vest the white albin the sacristy; in such white tunics the angels showed themselves to Mary Magdalene. The alb is the basic priestly liturgical vestment which can always remind us of the holy angels and invite us to unite ourselves with them for any liturgical act.

Then we go to the altar which symbolizes the tomb of the Lord. If we imitate and unite ourselves with these holy angels at the tomb, we may understand ourselves also as guardians of the tabernacle and tomb. At the altar, therefore, Christ's resurrection takes place in our hands! Should this not be the supreme moment of our personal prayer and worship?

As Prophet we preach the faith to the people with stronger conviction, speak about the Resurrection as the central message, about our hope in eternal life through Christ the universal Redeemer. Through the celebration of the mystery of Christ's death and Resurrection we lead the souls to a share in Christ's victory and on the road to Heaven, to the real future life in God.

As Pastors we become available for the people as the angels were accessible for Magdalene at the tomb. Card. Meisner said once: "A priest before the tabernacle makes people suspect that he has nothing to do. But, he is in the presence of a Person who is always active. He wants to take us with Him to the Father." The people will understand that they can come with their needs to Jesus, empty their sorrowful heart in the confessional, find us with an open ear and ready to listen like the angels who take the initiative and ask: "Why do you weep?" With the help of the holy angels, we become more secure in our vocation and calm in our ministry.

Like an earthly seraph

Fr. Sean Davidson recently published the book, "Saint Mary Magdalene. Prophetess of Eucharistic Love" (Ignatius Press, 2017). He writes: She "is like an earthly seraph consumed with desire for mystical union with God alone" (p. 90). Let us add this observation: To the open ear for the people's need which the angels teach the priest comes the open door through which the people have access to their Lord, the Lord truly present in the holy Eucharist, the Risen Lord waiting for each and every one in Eucharistic Adoration – "the greatest gift which you could make us," as Fr. Edward Wilk heard one of his parishioners say, over and over again. The people get easy access to the risen and comprehensive, the interested and helping Lord. Easter can become for everyone a year-long event.

Dear Brothers in the Priesthood!

What a light shines here into our souls and those entrusted to our care! The resurrection is the last word, Christ Risen is the eschatological promise of our own share in eternal glory! Let us firmly turn to him in every prayer, especially in the celebrations, and ask him to take us with him to the Father. Then it can be noisy in the world, but our peace in him remains undisturbed. Let us care for Him, and He will care for us and everything else we need (cf. Mt 6:33f). May his peace pass on through us to all entrusted to our care and beyond.

Fr. Titus Kieninger, ORC

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