Reflection for Tuesday July 22 Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene: John 20:1-2, 11-18

Gospel: 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. 

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Reflection: 

How do you feel when someone close to you dies unexpectedly?

Surely, your heart would be crushed with grief, and it would feel as if your world had momentarily stopped. This was the pain that Mary Magdalene felt; she was deeply devastated by the death of her beloved friend, Jesus. 

Mary Magdalene was so consumed by sorrow that she did not recognize the resurrected Jesus, who tenderly asked her why she was weeping (John 20:14-15). Yet, in that moment of grief, Jesus revealed Himself to her, and Mary Magdalene’s eyes were opened, recognizing the Lord she loved (John 20:16). 

Death is a certainty of life; it visits any one of us at a time it chooses—a time that oftentimes we do not want. Yet death comes, and no one can prevent it, for it is part of the journey God allows us to take. 

But after death comes life—a life far greater and more glorious than the life we have in this world. Perhaps this is why Mary Magdalene could not recognize the resurrected Jesus when He appeared to her. She could not distinguish the image of the Risen Christ from the Jesus she had known before His death, for Jesus had already entered into His glorified life. 

The Risen Jesus also comes to us today, yet many times, we fail to notice Him. He comes to us through the poor who stand before us, hoping for our kindness and generosity. He comes to us through a sick relative or friend who longs for our presence and comfort. 

There are many ways the Lord manifests Himself in our daily lives, but often, we do not recognize Him because our vision is clouded by our concerns and preoccupations with ourselves. – Marino J. Dasmarinas