Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rab-bo′ni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Mag′dalene went and said to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
According to the Gospel, Mary Magdalene was the first to whom the risen Lord appeared, and before she saw him she had also received the grace of seeing two angels who had probably accompanied the Lord in the tomb.
What is evident to the heavenly world, we human beings must first learn to assimilate. Even though we have received the gift of faith, we still see “in a mirror dimly” (1 Cor 13:12), i.e. our ability to recognise heavenly things is still rather limited. We need the help of the Holy Spirit so that our blindness is completely dispelled and we can learn to see better and better in God’s light.
Then the lethargy that often paralyses our faith will give way to that firm faith that the Lord wants to find in us.
The same thing happened to Mary Magdalene. Even when she saw the Lord and heard His voice saying, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” But when Jesus called her by name, Mary woke up. “Rab-bo′ni!, Master!” -she replied, her eyes having been opened.
Obviously, it is not so easy for the Lord to fully awaken our faith and make us receptive to heavenly realities. But when He meets a loving soul like Magdalene, He finds it easier. The intimate relationship with the Lord, born of love from heart to heart, penetrates more easily the fog that often surrounds us. We can imagine how tenderly Jesus pronounced Mary’s name, awakening in her all her love for Him and leading her to recognise Him: “Rab-bo′ni!, Master!” How much is contained in this one word: a total surrender to the Lord, the gratitude of seeing fulfilled before her eyes what He had foretold!
The Lord made Mary Magdalene the first witness of His resurrection by sending her to His disciples. They were to hear from her the good news that His promise had been fulfilled and that He was alive. They were to know that the Risen One would return to the Father. Jesus expresses this in these wonderful words: “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”, which recall the priestly prayer He had addressed to the Father before His Passion:
“Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world” (Jn 17:24).
We can only dimly imagine the joy and emotion that this news would arouse in the disciples, bringing them out of their desolation and mourning. They had believed in the true Lord and their hope had not been disappointed, for He had fulfilled His promise. Undoubtedly, they still had to assimilate more deeply the reality of the Resurrection, to overcome any uncertainty or hesitation and to make their faith as firm as a rock. But the Lord is merciful to their weakness. It was He who chose them and destined them to go and bear fruit, and their fruit will remain (Jn 15:16).
The Risen Lord will also fulfil all the promises yet to be fulfilled for the Church. Faith in Him will sustain us in the present darkness and in the crucifixion of His Church. Jesus remains faithful and we can safely trust Him! He will never let us down! Christ is risen and will return at the End of Time! Alleluia!
