Friday of 24th week
“Then Jesus made his way through towns an villages proclaiming and announcing the good news of the Kingdom of God.”
Jesus peaches the Kingdom, the Good News, accompanied by the twelve apostles, and he is also accompanied by several women, particularly by Mary Magdala, the most famous of them, and also Johanna, a woman who had a certain social class since she was married to Chuza, the steward of King Herod himself.
And so amongst the closest people to Jesus there were not only the twelve apostles but also different women who helped Jesus from their own goods.
This reveals how important was their presence amongst the group of disciples. When Jesus will die on the Cross there were women who surrounded Mary his Mother at the foot of the cross. With them was John the Evangelist, as they affronted the terrible moment of the crucifixion and death of Jesus. They are the ones who who will be the first ones to come to the tomb to bring homage to Jesus’ body ,as tradition indicated.
They will be the first to see the empty tomb and encounter Jesus who will greet them : ’Rejoice’.
Mary Magdalen is named in this extraordinary dialogue when she takes Jesus for the gardener and has himself recognised by calling her by her name. Mary Magdalen recognised him by the intonation of his voice, unique and special.
And then he sends them, not just Mary Magdalen but also the other women, so that they may announce his resurrection to the disciples, thus making of her the apostle of the apostles, the first ones to announce, the first messengers of the Good News of Christ’s Eastertide.
“With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits, and ailments : Mary surnamed the Magdalen, from whom seven demons had gone out.”
And so, if Jesus founds the Church on men , giving them a mission of preaching the Gospel everywhere, women have a very important role, they are there not only so they help Jesus with their belongings, as it is said here, but so as to also have an apostolic evangelical life by being the first women to announce the Good News.
Each one of us, men or women, is called to this Evangelisation and to serve their sisters and brothers, and to serve God in contemplation is the greatest happiness.
Jesus continues to pass close to us by offering his Love to us, this Love which saves us. When we pray, when we read and meditate the Gospel to get to know Jesus and love Him more we want to imitate his life of Light and Love. When we receive Him in the sacraments and particularly in the Eucharist we are transformed in Him. In all our life’s circumstances, we can find Jesus and follow Him like the Twelve and like the holy women. In this way we announce is Resurrection with our life which is already a life of risen people.
“Johana the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their own resources.”
The service of these women takes many forms, for each one of us it is a question of giving service to God just as he is.
Each one of these services reflects the deepest glory of whoever gives it.
Jesus ’did not come amongst mankind to be served but to serve and to give his life for many.’ This is what is proposed to all of us, men or women to serve our brothers in a total giving of self.
If our announcement of the Gospel resituates us in the order of Creation ’man and woman he made them’, the new humanity in Christ gives an authority of love over men and women of our time so as to be able to communicate the good news of reconciliation with God through Jesus.
The Kingdom of God is already here, present in the heart of those men and women who have received Jesus as a Saviour. It will only be fully realised on the day of his Return : saved by Jesus, we are this new humanity that takes body in the Church. We bear witness by all of our life healed by Jesus. By the words on our lips we announce it in coherence between our massage and our life.
The world is in urgent need of authentic witnesses of the Gospel. When we preach the Lord risen from the dead, it is through our risen life that we announce this resurrection of the dead. Thus we bear witness to the risen Christ within us, and so it is a message that is enriched with the witness of our faith.
We ask for the grace to be faithful to Jesus in his living and vivifying word.