Woman, why are you weeping?

REFLECTIONS TODAY

The two angels ask Mary of Magdala why she is crying. She is supposed to be rejoicing, for Jesus is risen from the dead. Peter and the other disciple have gone home after verifying her report. The latter disciple makes an act of faith upon seeing the empty tomb. But Mary of Magdala remains behind weeping, still not believing that Jesus is indeed risen. Then, as she turns around, Jesus himself asks her the same question, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She mistakes him for a gardener.

Mary of Magdala is a simple disciple of Christ, but has so much affection for him. Even at his tomb, she is following him. Yet as the story goes, this woman disciple, like the rest of the apostles, has not understood very well Jesus’ resurrection.

We, Christians, may be like her who know a lot about Jesus and feel so much for him because we attend liturgies, we listen to our preachers, read the Bible, and attend formation conferences. Yet, we still need to deepen our faith. We need to know how to make sense in our daily life of what we come to believe in.

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.

Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” St. Pauls, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.