John 20:1-2, 11-18
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he told her.
Dawg's Thought:
Today's prayer intention - for Maggie's Place, who celebrates 10 years of serving expectant women who have no place to live.
Who does Christ reveal Himself to?
In today's reading, we have someone whom Christ revealed Himself to and through whom the resurrection would be revealed to the Apostles.
There so much speculation about today's saint going around in our current culture that what gets lost is how she:
* Sought forgiveness of her sins through Christ
* Suffered as a witness to the brutal crucifixion of Christ
* Proclaimed Christ was resurrected to those who lost hope
Can we encounter Christ through recognizing our failures as well? Can we encounter Christ in our own sufferings as well? Can we encounter Christ by bringing the joy and hope of the resurrection to others as well?
We CAN encounter Christ in and through our brokenness; through our own sins, suffering, and ache for hope.
As the culture of our times wants to fantasize about whether or not Mary Magdalene was the wife of Christ, we know a better answer. Christ has a bride: the Church. As a Church, may we learn to love Him in a way the world tries to find an "answer" for: in our brokenness and humility before our Beloved Savior.
Take care and God Bless.
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