IT’S Easter Sunday and according to the Gospel of John, this is the celebration of the triumph and the glory of Jesus on the cross because of his fulfillment of his Father’s mission to redeem humanity from sin. Jesus is now with God but his Spirit lives in the Church. And so, to find Jesus now here on earth is to see him in a community of disciples that manifests genuine love and humble service for God and for all God’s people.
The first persons that attested to this truth, according to the Gospel of John, were Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple.
On the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, to announce to them the news of not finding Jesus in the tomb.
So Peter and the other disciple both ran towards the tomb. The other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen on the ground but did not go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went into the tomb. He too saw the linen cloth lying and the veil that covered the face of Jesus rolled up in a place by itself. Then, finally, the Beloved Disciple came in and he saw and believed.
Remember that Jesus did not appear to them yet during this incident. But based on what he saw, the Beloved Disciple already believed! He saw the linen cloth by the burial site and the rolled up veil that covered the face of Jesus and he believed. He believed that what Jesus had told his disciples was true: he came from the Father and he will return to him and be in him after accomplishing his Father’s mission. God the Father will then glorify his Son and vice versa.
At this point, the Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John on this Easter Sunday represents the early Christians and the next generations of Christians. He represents us all Christians living in this present time. We never witnessed seeing the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus and yet we believe! We hang on to the words Jesus in the Gospel of John in 20:29: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
Later on, Mary Magdalene, a woman, would be the first person to encounter Jesus in his glorified body in the garden by the tomb. “Woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked Mary, “Who is it you are looking for? “Sir if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him, “ Mary responded. Then Jesus said, “Mary”. At that point Mary realized that it was Jesus, and he cried out, “Rabboni” (which means Teacher).
At the command of Jesus, Mary Magdalene went to the disciples of Jesus to announce the Easter kerygma that she had seen the Lord.
In the following episodes of the Gospel of John, we find Jesus appearing to his disciples, breathing on them the Holy Spirit, commanding them to forgive sins, and telling Peter to catch more “fish” and to take care of and to feed his sheep, which are all symbolic missions of the Church to this present time and in the ages to come.
May these Easter incidents bring us joy and inspire us all—men, women and children—to continue the mission of Jesus Christ, a mission of love and mercy for the whole world!
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
