Don't hold on to me

Mary Magdalene had seen Jesus die. Now he stood before her, alive, and she wanted to hold on to him. But he says: do not cling to me. As Noli me tangere, Latin for 'touch me not', those words became the title of countless paintings. Fra Angelico painted the scene on a monastery wall in Florence.

Jesus shows her a new way. He hasn't returned to the old life, but is on his way to the Father. Instead of holding him, Mary is given a message: my Father and your Father, my God and your God. What he has with the Father, he now shares with his followers.