Tuesday April 18
A frequent literary device in John’s Gospel: is the use of gradual recognition, or misunderstanding as a stage on the path to understanding: see for example, the conversations Jesus had with Nicodemus (ch. 3), the Samaritan woman (ch. 4), etc. In today’s passage we find it once again: Mary thought at first that Jesus was the gardener. The moment of full recognition was when he spoke her name. This has a great deal of resonance throughout the Scriptures, from beginning to end. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘I am pleased with you and I know you by name’” (Ex 33:17). Referring to himself, Jesus said, “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep…. The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (Jn 10:2-3). A faith that does not go to the depth of one’s personal existence is not faith but theory. Even theology is not faith: a person may know a great deal of theology but have no faith. I heard a woman describe her husband, “He’s very interested in religion, but he has no faith.” Conversely, a person may know little about religion but have profound faith. St. Thomas Aquinas said that one old lady (una vetera) may have more faith than a host of learned theologians.
