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Mary Magdalene


July 22


Gospel
John 20:1-2,11-18
'Mary, go and find the brothers and tell them'

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
    Meanwhile Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

Reflection

- In the early morning dark, Mary encounters an empty tomb and a transforming revelation: what was taken away becomes the occasion for recognizing new life. The emptiness is not final; it becomes a doorway to encounter the risen Lord. May we, like Mary, approach our places of grief and loss with openness, listening for the gentle call that invites us to witness to what we have seen.



Question for reflection**

- How does the moment Mary recognizes Jesus—“Mary!”—invite me to listen for Jesus speaking my name in the ordinary moments of my day?



Prayer

Lord Jesus, you meet us where we are, even in the moments of confusion and sorrow. Help me to hear you calling my name, to trust in your risen presence, and to carry your message of hope to others. May my faith be marked by a simple, steadfast witness to what you have done, and may I cling not to what is gone, but to the life you offer today. Amen.


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