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!”( Jn 20:15-16)

God is good!

Today’s gospel establishes Mary Magdalene’s pivotal role in our appreciation of the resurrection of Jesus. John contrasts Mary's life experiences and how the light of Christ comes to shine and strengthens her; it is typical of our own experiences.

She emerges as a despairing person crying over her losses; Jesus is dead, and his body is missing. Jesus’ echo of the angels' question, "Woman, why are you weeping conveys the idea of divine recognition of human  distress, and God's solution to all distressed conditions, which is Jesus’ victory over death. Indeed, Jesus is a “solution.”

The transition from "woman" to Mary by Jesus is a dynamic relational acknowledgement of how God notices human distress addresses such concerns for those who recognize him. Mary’s profile challenges Christ-minded people to understand that we cannot build our nation without Jesus, secure our family without Jesus, and fulfil our lives without Jesus.

Peter could not accentuate this hopeful insight about the essential meaning of the resurrection better when he said, "Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." The critical question to ask during this Easter season is, why am I not turning to Jesus?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, again, thank you for sending raising Jesus from the dead to give me hope in his name. Help me to understand that he makes all things alright, even if they do not meet my desires. Amen