In continuity with the paschal inspiration of Emmaus, the icon of Mary Magdalene (cf. Jn 20:1-18) illuminates the path that the Church seeks to follow with and for the young as a fruit of this Synod: a path of resurrection that leads to proclamation and mission. Nursing a profound desire for the Lord and defying the darkness of the night, Mary Magdalene runs to Peter and the other disciple; her movement triggers theirs, her womanly dedication anticipates the path of the apostles and opens up the way for them. At the dawn of that day, the first day of the week, she experiences a surprise encounter: Mary went in search because she loved, but she finds because she is loved. The Risen One makes himself known as he calls her by name and he asks her not to cling to him, because his risen body is not a treasure to be locked up, but a mystery to be shared. Thus she becomes the first missionary disciple, the apostle of the apostles. Healed from her wounds (cf. Lk 8:2) and a witness of the resurrection, she is the image of the young Church of our dreams.
TheoFonsAt the sources of the faith