See and Believe – John 20:1A and 2-8 Reflection
If you have lost a loved one, you have likely experienced assurance of that person’s spiritual existence for brief moments after their passing. You might perceive a gentle spiritual touch, vivid thoughts, or memories confirming that that person is with God in Heaven. These are cherished moments when we let our soul surface so we can see and believe. Spiritual seeing removes the barriers of holding on to only a physical past. Didn’t those same spiritual moments of soul touching soul occur before the person passed? This is God’s gift to you, as souls are eternal, existing before and after. Isn’t this what happened with the disciple Jesus loved as the first person to see and believe? Knowing each other presence of soul strengthens our beliefs of eternal life and Divinity if we allow it. Because we are also the one Jesus loves, we know the risen Lord.
Mary Magdalene and the Holy Women at the Tomb by James Tissot (full-resolution image of painting).
More details are available on the Brooklyn Museum website.
Additional Christmastide Reflections
Additional Ordinary Time Reflections
John 20:1a and 2-8 – Scripture*
The Resurrection of Jesus
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.
Additional Thoughts
Thank you for meditating on this Gospel and reading this Lectio Divina on John 20:1a and 2-8 – See and Believe.
Would you like to contribute related thoughts to these Lectio reflections on the Gospel readings? Since Lectio is not the only contemplative prayer style, others might appreciate these types of expressions in this ministry. Do you see God’s grandeur everywhere and unconditionally enjoy sharing the love of Christ that you have inside? Are you willing to be anonymous in what you would share? If so, email me.
Prayer for young families:
Lord, let the young families of our communities get to know your joy, peace, comfort, and love despite worldly distractions.
Attributions
*This site has permission to use the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) Bible John 20 passage.
The Immersive Prayer website follows the guidelines for image web use at the Brooklyn Museum and the Jewish Museum websites.
Page and discussion group on these Lectio Divina daily Gospel Readings.
Discussion group on St. John of the Cross.