Gospel for Easter - John 20: 11-18

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary Magdalene Reflection

I love in this reading how Mary Magdalene recognises Jesus when he calls her by name. Do we recognise Jesus when he calls our name? 

Here are some examples of how we may hear Jesus calling us by name:

• Church services, such as Sunday Mass. Can we enter into worship at church and listen to Jesus in the Eucharist?
• Personal prayer, such as Bible Reading, Meditation or the Rosary? Do we make time for prayer - do we listen to God in prayer?
• Seeing the needs of others: Ukraine, Workmates, Schoolmates, Family, Friends.  Do we see and hear Jesus when we see and hear the suffering of others? How is Jesus calling us to respond?
• Our own suffering. Are we open to hearing God call our name through our own suffering. After all, we don’t believe in a God who is far removed from the concerns of this world, but rather a God who suffered and died on the cross and rose from the dead at Easter, providing salvation and hope for the world. 

Mary Magdalene listened and she recognised that Jesus was calling her name. Can we do the same?

Mr Steve O’Neill

Religion Leader of Learning