Monday – Jesus & Mary Magdalen
Scripture: John 20:11-18
Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb. She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot. The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” As soon as she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold on to me, for I haven’t yet gone up to my Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I’m going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” Mary Magdalene left and announced to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord.” Then she told them what he said to her.
Thought for the Day: Have you caught your breath from yesterday? As I often say, most people celebrate resurrection on Easter, but clergy don’t resurrect until sometime around noon on the Monday after Easter. I imagine Mary went from the heavy breathing of panic when she found the tomb empty -to- near hyperventilating as she discovered the so-called gardener was, in fact, the resurrected Jesus. As a kid, I can still remember entering the church sanctuary on Easter morning, and though I had entered that sanctuary 47 or 48 times in the previous year, there was something different about Easter. I don’t think I was anywhere near hyperventilating, but the heart rate was elevated as I felt the spirit of expectation. On this Monday after Easter, I hope the feelings of Easter morning remain. I have a feeling that Mary continued to have moments in which her breath was taken away simply because she remembered back to that day in the Garden. Those are Resurrection Moments, and we all need to have them beyond that one day when the calendar says Easter.
Prayer: Make me a person of resurrection, O Lord of the Empty Tomb. Make me a person of new life on the other 364 days of the year. Amen.
WOW!!
What an amazing Easter!
Thanks to everyone
who helped make it special
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