While We Weep

The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene - John 20:1-2, 11-18

Every time I read this Gospel, I’m completely blown away by how personal Jesus is in our moments of grief and despair.

Mary is grieving. Grieving the loss of certainty. Grieving the loss of her healer. Grieving the loss of her Lord.

And in that grief she is met with an empty tomb. There is no immediate comfort, no consolation, but concern, maybe even fear.

In today’s Gospel reading we see Mary run from that empty tomb to the Apostles sharing the news that the Lord’s body is gone “and we don’t know where they put him.” She doesn’t even fully understand yet what has happened.

In the verses in between, not read today, Peter and the one whom Jesus loved ran to the tomb upon hearing Mary’s words. They encountered it, and then went to their homes.

But Mary remains. Weeping.

Her distress is palpable as she peered into the tomb. Her sorrow is so overwhelming that even when angels speak to her, she doesn’t flinch. She turns from the tomb to see Jesus standing there.

In her grief, she supposes this man must be the gardener. Jesus even asks her “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Nothing seems to penetrate her despairing heart, searching for her Lord, that she replies “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”

Then Jesus says one word.

“Mary”

One word. One moment. One call. And sorrow gives way to recognition. To joy. To mission.

This is the power of personal encounter with the Risen Christ: He speaks our name into the silence of our sorrow. He doesn’t wait for us to be composed, or faithful or even hopeful. He comes while we weep.

He meets us in the unraveling — and calls us by name.

Because to be known is the beginning of love, and the beginning of transformation.

Mary goes from weeping to witnessing, and from despair to mission, all because she heard her name spoken by Love Himself.

And maybe today, that’s all we need too.

Not all the answers. Not the perfect prayer life. Just the courage to stay near Jesus, even when things don’t make sense. Just the trust that if we wait in the sorrow, He will come.

He still speaks.

And He knows your name.

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.