Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (Jn 20). I’ve always wondered at that. Her Lord is risen! Why would Jesus tell Mary to back off, when she could again touch his incarnate, living, now resurrected, glorified body?! I see myself in that place, longing just to kiss his feet! Why would Jesus deny her? In this passage, the reason seems to be that Jesus has an urgent mission for Mary: “Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" But I think the reason is further developed in the story of the Road to Emmaus. Jesus, present yet hidden from the disciples’ sight, reveals his fulfillment of prophecy. The response of the disciples is first an internal one, their hearts burning within them (as I felt myself when I first began to recognize the Real Presence of God in the Mass). Their succeeding action is to ask Jesus to stay with them, and not until he breaks bread