In the luminous joy of Easter Week, the Church presents us with two profound encounters: the Ethiopian eunuch with Philip on the road to Gaza (Acts 8:26–40), and Mary Magdalene meeting the Risen Christ at the tomb (John 20:11–18). These passages, appointed in various traditional lectionaries during the Octave of Easter, invite us to contemplate the Resurrection not merely as an event of glory, but as a mystery that opens the eyes of faith through Scripture and Sacrament.
I. The Burning Heart and the Open Scroll (Acts 8:26–40)
The scene is set on a lonely road in the desert—a symbolic place of encounter between man and God. The eunuch is reading from Isaiah, yet his heart is veiled. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, he reads but does not understand. St. Philip is sent by the Spirit, not merely to walk beside him, but to break open the Word, to proclaim Christ crucified and risen.
St. Irenaeus comments on such moments of revelation:
“The Scriptures are indeed perfect, for they were spoken by the Word of God and His Spirit; but we, in order to become knowledgeable, must read them in the same Spirit in which they were written” (Adv. Haer. 2.28.2).
Philip, filled with the Spirit, does precisely that. He proclaims the suffering Servant of Isaiah as the Risen Lord, and the eunuch responds with the question that bursts from a heart enkindled with Easter faith: “What doth hinder me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36).
Here, the transition from Scripture to Sacrament is seamless, echoing the structure of the Church’s liturgy: first the Liturgy of the Word, then the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Baptism is the gate, the threshold into the Paschal Mystery. As St. Ambrose teaches,
“The eunuch believed in Jesus and was baptized. See the sequence: he hears, he believes, he desires baptism, and he receives it. This is the model for all catechumens.” (De Mysteriis 2.6)
II. “Noli Me Tangere”: Recognition and Restraint (John 20:11–18)
Mary Magdalene’s encounter at the tomb is one of the most intimate and mysterious episodes of the Resurrection. She stands weeping, seeking the Lord whom she thinks lost. But the Lord is near, hidden from her recognition not by distance, but by divine purpose.
St. Gregory the Great marvels at the moment of recognition:
“Jesus is not recognized when He calls her ‘Woman’; He is recognized when He calls her ‘Mary.’ He does not show Himself to her face, but He speaks to her heart.” (Hom. in Evang. 25)
Indeed, it is love that sees, not eyes. Yet when she clings to Him in joy, He bids her not to hold Him: “Noli me tangere.” This command, so often misunderstood, is a profound catechesis in the new order of Christ’s presence. He is no longer to be held in the flesh as before. The time has come for a higher communion: the Eucharist, the Mystical Body, the life of grace.
St. Augustine reflects on this transformation:
“She sought Him as a man, and He calls her to seek Him as God. She desired to cling to His mortal flesh, but He now offers her a deeper union in the spirit.” (Tract. in Joann. 121)
III. The Pattern of Paschaltide: From Confusion to Clarity, from Seeking to Sending
Both the Ethiopian and Mary begin in darkness and longing. One reads the Scriptures without light; the other weeps at a tomb. Yet both are found by Christ—through Philip, through the Gardener—and sent forth as witnesses.
- The eunuch goes on his way rejoicing, a new member of the Church, perhaps the first fruits of Africa’s evangelization.
- Mary becomes the apostola apostolorum, the first herald of the Resurrection.
Thus the Paschal pattern is confirmed: the Lord comes to us in our confusion, interprets the Scriptures, opens our eyes, draws us into the sacraments, and sends us to proclaim the Risen Christ.
As we continue in this radiant Octava Paschæ, may we allow Christ to draw near in His Word and Sacraments. May our eyes be opened to see Him in the breaking of the Bread. May our hearts burn within us as He speaks to us on the way.
“Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit! Alleluia!”
Let this truth be the fire in our bones and the joy in our witness.
Let us not cling to the Christ of the tomb, but proclaim the Christ of glory.