Facing the tomb without understanding anything is a disaster. Even more so if the “body has disappeared.”

 

Facing the tomb without understanding anything is a disaster. Even more so if the “body has disappeared.” Those who have not yet understood Jesus’ teachings, even though He is still with everyone, will “seek among men” the One who no longer depends on physical, material laws; this means that they have not yet believed. Peter, like Mary Magdalene, did not understand anything. On the other hand, the beloved disciple saw the sign, understood what the Master had said before, and believed. In Mt 16:21b; Mk 8:31b; and Lk 9:22, Jesus speaks about His Resurrection; also in Jn 10:18, when Jesus teaches about His condition as the Good Shepherd, who freely gives His life and takes it up again by His power. The beloved disciple remembers the teachings of Scripture, because his love for the Master introduced him to the heart of the Word of God, in order to understand everything that was revealed in Jesus Christ and the very person of the Master of Nazareth. Whoever wishes to be a disciple of Christ must necessarily come across the empty tomb in the midst of a world that absolutely demands the presence of the Savior, but not according to His condition as Servant, limited by time, space and natural laws, but as Lord, glorified, victorious, perceived only by the FAITH of those who see the tomb, understand the Word and experience the presence of the Resurrected One and become visible to God through the gift of themselves.

2. Mary Magdalene, representing those who have not yet understood, who have not attained the gift of faith, leaves "very early in the morning", it is still "dark", she sees the "tomb", but does not enter it, and she despairs. She is still searching for the corpse, the dawn and the darkness are signs of the absence of light, of life, of the newness of faith. There is no adherence to the LIVING Jesus. Despite it being early in the morning, Jesus having already been resurrected, she was not able to SEE this mystery. She went on SUNDAY, the first day of the week, which now indicates the day of the new creation, of the new history, of the victory over death, sin and the Devil; the day of the Resurrection, therefore, the Lord's day, the day of the fullness of the Sabbath; the day of the new humanity, of those who have encountered the Lord.

3. Peter and the beloved disciple also run to the tomb. Both as signs of the community that did not yet believe in the victory over death, still thinking that Jesus' death had limited His existence. At that time, the apostles were already separated, as Jesus had said (cf. Jn 16:32), so it is easy to understand why Mary Magdalene only finds the two of them. Well, the beloved disciple runs faster, because love understands faster, arrives first, opens doors, anticipates and waits for the exact time. This disciple has no name; he is there, with Peter, he was at the foot of the Cross, he was given as a son to the Mother of Jesus by Jesus himself, he is close to the Mother, to the Son Jesus and to the Community. The beloved disciple remained always at Jesus’ side, turned toward Him, without promising anything (a sign for Peter), but there, always faithful and loving; he is humble, recognizing his place before Peter, who needs a true encounter with Christ in the empty tomb, with only the cloths rolled up and neatly folded, signs that the tomb had not been violated, since they would not have bothered with cloths. The beloved disciple sees and believes, understands that Christ is not under the bonds of death, as happened with Lazarus, who needed to be untied. At that moment, the beloved disciple came to the truth of love that conquers death. Only those who love live eternally. Peter will understand this later.

4. Peter and Mary Magdalene symbolize those who have not yet been able to overcome doubt; who do not yet have the faith required by the Resurrection, by the New Condition of Jesus. All disciples are invited to encounter the Resurrected One, to experience Him, to know Him in the Holy Scriptures and to experience Him in love. Thus is born the BELOVED DISCIPLE, totally focused on God in Jesus Christ, absolutely devoted to His teachings, deeply immersed in the Sacred Scripture and freely available to proclaim the Message of Salvation, with the Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus as the central pillar of his faith. He has no doubt that he is the visibility of the Resurrected One.

A warm and affectionate hug.