REFLECTIONS TODAY

Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb early on the first day of the week to continue to weep for Jesus. Her trouble increases when she sees the tomb empty, thinking that someone must have stolen Jesus’ body. Her excessive grief and tears may have prevented her from recognizing Jesus, mistaking the figure standing nearby for a gardener. Only when she hears the voice of Jesus — the voice of the Shepherd calling for the “sheep” by name — does she recognize that it is her “Rabbouni” (v 16): Jesus is alive! The problem with excessive grief is its failure to recognize the presence of good, whether big or small. When our eyes are full of tears, our view of the world and our life is being clouded. Bad experiences come and go, so as much as we can be sad about anything, we also learn to lift ourselves up and start being cheerful. Are we overburdened with sadness? Perhaps our eyes are too clouded to see the good things happening around us now?

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 2023,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); Website: [http://www.stpauls.ph](http://www.stpauls.ph).