To My God and Your God

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

By Melanie Rigney

(Peter said to the Jewish people:) “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.”  (Acts 2:38)

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. (Psalm 33:5b

(Jesus said to Mary Magdalene:) “Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17)

Piety

Lord, help me to appreciate the gift of redemption purchased by your Son.

Study

The inclusive language may not have struck Mary Magdalene and Jesus’s other followers, not at first.

But in today’s Gospel reading, after Mary finds him alive and well outside the tomb, he talks not only of going to His Father and His God… but also to “your Father… and your God.”

For while Jesus’s relationship with the Father, seated at His right hand, always was and always would remain special, his words to Mary remind us that we are children of that same God… not to some lesser deity, but to the very same being to which Jesus prayed and offered up His life on our behalf.

The temple veil is ripped. The separation is done, once and for all… unless we choose to distance ourselves from the Light, to decline the Good News that we share the same Father and God with the Christ. And as we go about our daily affairs throughout the Easter season, may we be mindful of the things that could move us away from this love… and in His name, reject those temptations.

Action

Talk about the gift of the resurrection with a person with whom you seldom discuss matters of faith. Be bold. Be passionate. Carry the Good News.