In her profound grief, outside of Jesus' tomb, Mary Magdalene is asked by the two angels why she is weeping. She tells them, and then suddenly, she turns and sees Jesus standing there, but doesn’t recognize him.
I imagine we’ve all experienced times when we were distraught, exhausted, and unable to see things clearly. It’s understandable why Mary couldn’t recognize Jesus at first.
But Jesus helps her see Him for who He is, beginning with connecting with her sorrow and desire to prepare His body for burial. Then, He calls her by name, “Mary!”
It’s then that she’s able to overcome the emotional burden of grief and the false conclusion that evil has defeated their Savior.
Mary suddenly recognizes Jesus and calls Him “Teacher.” He then instructs Mary to stop holding onto Him and to go and tell His brothers, “I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
In an instant, Mary went from grief to surprise and then, in faith, to proclaim the Good News of Jesus' Resurrection.
Actively Seeking
In each of the readings today, we hear of a longing for God. In the psalm, we profess four times, “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”
In the reading from the Song of Songs, we are reminded of our deep longing for God’s love and friendship. We seek Him not just in our sacred places of worship but in the streets and crossings of our cities, even asking others if they have seen Him. And, like Mary Magdalene finding Him, the main message is that our search for God is not in vain.
For us to find Jesus each day, we need to have the disposition and faith of Mary Magdalene. It’s not enough to want to experience the love of Jesus; we also need to get up and actively seek Him.
Constant Presence
But that seeking will be in vain if we don’t look and listen for His presence with faith that He is with us … that He is present in the ordinary, joyful, and even sorrowful times.
Jesus is our teacher, and He is reminding us that He is always with us, that He has Risen and defeated evil, and that we are to share this Good News, especially with those who are struggling to see Jesus through their tears.
May God bless you and your families this holy day!
- Father David's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and Rosary) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
