d I will take him away. Jesus saith unto
her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is
to say, Master.

"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my
Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my
Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."[33]

[Footnote 33: Chapter xx. of the Gospel according to St. John, verses
11-17.]

Our picture illustrates the story of that first Easter morning. Jesus
has greeted Mary by name, and she has instantly recognized the Master.
Sinking on her knees, she would have impulsively stretched out her
hands to him, but he repels her with a gesture. Awe-struck, she gazes
into his face, while he explains the message she is to carry to the
disciples.

[Illustration: CHRIST APPEARING TO MARY MAGDALENE IN THE GARDEN (NOLI
ME TANGERE)
_Prado Gallery, Madrid_]

The risen Lord is clad in but one garment, a heavy mantle, knotted at
the waist. The upper part is slipping from his shoulders, leaving the
torso bare. The beauty of the form reminds us of a Greek statue. On
the ground beside him are some garden tools, a hoe and a spade, and
beyond these lies a straw hat. These things explain why Mary, blinded
and confused with weeping, supposed that it was the gardener who spoke
to her.

The Master's attitude and gesture emphasize the meaning of his words.
The body sways slightly to one side, as if shrinking from Mary's
touch. He still holds his right hand outstretched, as when he said
"Touch me not." And now he raises his left arm, and pointing
heavenward declares that he is about to ascend to his Father. He seems
to speak gently as to a child, and looks down into Mary's face with a
smile.

The young woman is richly arrayed in a brocade dress, cut so as to
show her beautiful neck and arms. A mass of wavy golden hair falls
over her shoulders and upon her bosom. Her tapering wrists and
delicate hands indicate gentle blood, but her features are somewhat
heavy, and the face would not attract us by its beauty. The rapt
expression of devotion is what makes it interesting. The whole
attitude expresses complete self-forgetfulness.

The lithe and youthful figure of Christ recalls the boy we saw in a
former picture journeying from Egypt. We can see that this is the man
into whom that child is grown. We note again the high full forehead
over which the parted hair is brushed in curves. Again, too, we see
the small mouth with the gen