Happy Day of Resurrection! Our gospel reading this morning brings us to the evening of the day Mary Magdalene discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead. Because Mark ends his good news about Jesus with the empty tomb and no post-resurrection encounters with Jesus, we are jumping into John (and a little Luke) for the next few weeks.
These 50 days between Easter and Ascension are called Eastertide.
Eastertide is a time of transition. Jesus is Jesus, but he is different after dying and coming back to life again. His relationship with his followers has changed. Nostalgically, he remains their beloved teacher, although he acts more like a mentor now. He encourages and coaches them to reflect on their faith, empowers and encourages them in their various gifts, and more overtly prepares them to continue bearing witness to the Good News.