From: Mark 16:9-15

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene and to Two Disciples

[9] Now when He (Jesus) rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared
first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast our seven demons. [10] She
went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. [11]
But when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they would
not believe it.

[12] After this He appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking
into the country. [13] And they went back and told the rest, but they did not be-
lieve them.

Jesus Appears to the Eleven. The Apostles’ Mission

[14] Afterwards He appeared to the Eleven themselves as they sat at table; and
He upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not
believed those who saw Him after He had risen. [15] And He said to them, “Go
into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation.”

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Commentary:

11-14. When reporting these first appearances of the risen Jesus, St. Mark stres-
ses the disciples’ disbelief and their reluctance to accept the fact of the Resurrec-
tion, even though Jesus foretold it (cf. Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). This resistance
shown by the Apostles is a further guarantee of the truth of Jesus’ resurrection;
they were to be direct, specially-appointed witnesses to the risen Christ, yet they
were reluctant to accept this role. They had personal, direct proof of the truth of
the Resurrection.

However, our Lord will say: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet be-
lieve” (John 20:29). In the Apostles’ case, they needed, in addition to faith in the
risen Christ, clear evidence of His resurrection, for they were to be the eye-wit-
nesses, key witnesses who would proclaim it as an irrefutable fact. In this con-
nection Pope St. Gregory the Great comments: “The reason why the disciples
were slow to believe in the Resurrection was not so much due to their weakness
as to our future firmness in the faith; what other purposes does this have (the
very Resurrection being demonstrated by many arguments to those who were in
doubt) than that our faith should be strengthened by their doubt?” (”In Evangelia
Homilae”, 16).

12. Our Lord’s appearance to these two disciples is reported more fully by St.
Luke (cf. 24:13-35).

15. This verse contains what is called the “universal apostolic mandate” (paral-
leled by Matthew 28:19-20 and Luke 24:46-48). This is an imperative command
from Christ to His Apostles to preach the Gospel to the whole world. This same
apostolic mission applies, especially to the Apostles’ successors, the bishops
in communion with Peter’s successor, the Pope.

But this mission extends further: the whole “Church was founded to spread the
Kingdom of Christ over all the earth for the glory of God the Father, to make all
men partakers in redemption and salvation ...Every activity of the Mystical Body
with this in view goes by the name of ‘apostolate’; the Church exercises it through
all its members, though in various ways. In fact, the Christian vocation is, of its
nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well. In the organism of a living body no
member plays a purely passive part, sharing in the life of the body it shares at
the same time in its activity. The same is true for the body of Christ, the Church:
‘the whole body achieves full growth in dependence on the full functioning of each
part’ (Ephesians 4:16). Between the members of this body there exists, further,
such a unity and solidarity (cf. Ephesians 4:16) that a member who does not
work at the growth of the body to the extent of his possibilities must be con-
sidered useless both to the Church and to himself.

“In the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To the apostles
and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying and
governing in His name and by His power. But the laity are made to share in the
priestly, prophetical and kingly office of Christ; they have therefore, in the Church
and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God”
(Vatican II, “Apostolicam Actuositatem”, 2).

It is true that God acts directly on each person’s soul through grace, but it must
also be said that it is Christ’s will (expressed here and elsewhere) that men
should be an instrument or vehicle of salvation for others.

Vatican II also teaches this: “On all Christians, accordingly, rests the noble obli-
gation of working to bring all men throughout the whole world to hear and accept
the divine message of salvation” (”ibid.”, 3).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Acts 4:13-21 ©

The rulers, elders and scribes were astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John, considering they were uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates of Jesus; but when they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side, they could find no answer. So they ordered them to stand outside while the Sanhedrin had a private discussion. ‘What are we going to do with these men?’ they asked. ‘It is obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a miracle has been worked through them in public, and we cannot deny it. But to stop the whole thing spreading any further among the people, let us caution them never to speak to anyone in this name again.’

So they called them in and gave them a warning on no account to make statements or to teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John retorted, ‘You must judge whether in God’s eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.’ The court repeated the warnings and then released them; they could not think of any way to punish them, since all the people were giving glory to God for what had happened.

Psalm

Psalm 117:1,14-21 ©

I will thank you, Lord, for you have given answer.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,

for his love has no end.

The Lord is my strength and my song;

he was my saviour.

There are shouts of joy and victory

in the tents of the just.

I will thank you, Lord, for you have given answer.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;

his right hand raised me up.

I shall not die, I shall live

and recount his deeds.

I was punished, I was punished by the Lord,

but not doomed to die.

I will thank you, Lord, for you have given answer.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Open to me the gates of holiness:

I will enter and give thanks.

This is the Lord’s own gate

where the just may enter.

I will thank you for you have answered

and you are my saviour.

I will thank you, Lord, for you have given answer.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Ps117:24

Alleluia, alleluia!

This day was made by the Lord:

we rejoice and are glad.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Having risen in the morning on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom he had cast out seven devils. She then went to those who had been his companions, and who were mourning and in tears, and told them. But they did not believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen him.

After this, he showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their way into the country. These went back and told the others, who did not believe them either.

Lastly, he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’