[LA] The Thursday of the Octave of Easter continues the uninterrupted jubilation of the resurrection of the Lord, maintaining the character of a single and great festive solemnity that extends over eight days in the traditional liturgy. In the early days of the Church, this day was of profound importance for the neophytes, newly baptized in the Paschal Vigil, who continued to wear their white vestments and to receive the mystagogical catecheses, deepening themselves in the sacred mysteries of which they now fully participated. The liturgy of this octave focuses on the apparitions of the Risen Christ and on the initial expansion of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating that the victory over death is not an isolated event, but the beginning of a new creation that encompasses all nations. Traditionally, the liturgical station of this day in Rome is celebrated at the Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles, a place of profound symbolism, for it reflects the missionary sending and the apostolic foundation of the Church which, from the resurrection, is called to witness the light of Christ to the ends of the earth. In it is found the tomb of the Apostle St. Philip.
🎵 Introit (Wis 10, 20-21; Ps 97, 1)
Victrícem manum tuam, Dómine, laudavérunt páriter, allelúia: quia sapiéntia apéruit os mutum, et linguas infántium fecit disértas, allelúia, allelúia. Ps. Cantáte Dómino cánticum novum: quia mirabília fecit.
All together they praised, O Lord, your victorious hand, alleluia: because Wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb and made the tongues of the children eloquent, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. Sing to the Lord a new song, because he has done wonderful things.
📖 Epistle (Acts 8, 26-40)
In those days, an Angel of the Lord said to Philip: Arise and go toward the south, on the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza through the desert. And he arose and departed. And behold, an Ethiopian man, chamberlain and favorite of Candace, queen of Ethiopia and administrator of all her treasures, had come to worship in Jerusalem. He was returning seated in his chariot and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip: Approach and go near that chariot. Philip then ran, and heard the Ethiopian reading the prophet Isaiah. And he said to him: Can you understand what you are reading? He replied: How could I, if no one explains it to me? And he asked Philip to come up and sit beside him. Now, the passage of Scripture that he was reading was this: As the sheep is led to the slaughter and as a lamb, silent before him who shears it, he did not open his mouth. By his humiliation, his judgment was consummated. Who will be able to describe his generation, for his life will be cut off from the earth? The chamberlain, answering Philip, said: Please, teach me: Of whom does the Prophet speak this? Of himself or of some other? Then Philip, opening his mouth and beginning from this passage of Scripture, announced to him the Gospel of Jesus. And going along the way they found water, the chamberlain saying: Behold, here is water; what prevents me from being baptized? Then Philip said: If you believe with all your heart, this is possible. He replied: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he made the chariot stop; and both descending into the water, Philip baptized the chamberlain. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip and the chamberlain saw him no more. He continued, however, full of joy, on his way. Philip found himself in Azotus, and wherever he passed, he taught the Gospel in all the cities until he came to Caesarea, making known the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
📖 Gospel (Jn 20, 11-18)
At that time, Mary Magdalene remained outside the tomb, weeping. Through her tears, she bent down and looked inside the tomb. And she saw two Angels dressed in white, sitting, one at the head, and the other at the feet of the place where the body of Jesus had been laid. They said to her: Woman, why are you weeping? She answered them: Because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him. Saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was He. Jesus said to her: Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? Thinking that he was the gardener, she said: Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him; and I will take him away. Jesus said to her: Mary! Turning around, she exclaimed: Rabboni (that is, Master)! Jesus said to her: Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brothers, and tell them: I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went out to announce to the disciples: I have seen the Lord and these are the words that he said to me.
🕊️ The Persevering Search and the Revelation of the Risen One
The evangelical narrative presents us with the moving encounter between the Risen Christ and Saint Mary Magdalene, revealing the apex of authentic love and the profound interior transformation operated by grace. Formerly seeking consolation in the things of the world, Magdalene now finds herself so entirely enamored of Christ that not even the dazzling apparition of two celestial angels manages to distract her from her search; her purified heart yearns solely for the Lord. Saint Gregory the Great, meditating on this passage, teaches that the absence of the body and the apparent delay served to multiply her holy desires, for true love does not faint with waiting, but is inflamed with longing. By initially mistaking Him for a caretaker of the garden, the holy woman was not entirely wrong in her intuition, for, as the holy pope brilliantly observes, Jesus was, in fact, the spiritual gardener who planted and cultivated the fruitful seeds of the virtues in the depths of her soul. It is only when the Good Shepherd calls her personally by name - "Maria!" - that her eyes are opened, confirming the sublime election that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 641) highlights by recognizing her as the "apostle of the apostles" and the first witness of the paschal glory. However, by warning her with the imperative not to hold Him back, Christ does not reject her, but elevates her horizon: Saint Augustine explains that Jesus desired that the faith of Magdalene transcend earthly and carnal affection, ascending to the theological understanding that He and the Father are one, while Saint John Chrysostom points out the need to instill a profound and new reverence before the royalty of His resurrected body. Such lessons urge us to a profound interior examination before the empty tomb: for whom have we wept in our lives? Many times we lament passing losses, seeking in vain in creatures the consolation and security that only God can grant us. The testimony of love of Mary Magdalene urgently invites us to deposit all our tears, infirmities and affections in the Heart of Christ, having the full certainty that everything that is entrusted with confidence to the Risen One never perishes, but is transfigured, sanctified and eternally preserved in the unshakable hope of eternal life.
In a similar way, the liturgical reading exposes to us a heart thirsty for the truth: that of the Ethiopian eunuch. He reflects the pilgrim humanity that meditates on the Scriptures, but needs the divine illumination dispensed through the Church. Saint Augustine recalls that it is heavenly providence that sends Philip to open the understanding of the eunuch, revealing that the prophecy of Isaiah about the immolated Lamb is fulfilled entirely in Christ. Saint John Chrysostom underlines the magnanimity of this grace, illustrated in the readiness of baptism; the action of the Spirit does not impose delays before a humble heart and perfectly disposed. The overflowing joy with which the eunuch continues on his way is the direct reflection of the resurrection operating in those who, receiving the baptismal water, confess the Son of God.
The introit of this paschal Thursday masterfully ties together the teachings of the two readings: "Wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb and made the tongues of the children eloquent". Both Mary Magdalene, whose sorrow temporarily blinded her before Christ, and the eunuch, whose inexperience kept him silent before the depth of the Scriptures, represent our spiritual childhood. However, upon encountering the Divine Wisdom - the Risen Christ - their tongues are loosed. The newly baptized becomes capable of solemnly professing the faith, and the redeemed sinner runs to announce to the brothers the great mystery. The victorious hand of Our Lord acts continually upon the Church, touching our insufficiency and enabling us to sing a new song of redemption, transforming each soul reached by paschal love into an eloquent witness of His victory.