HE IS RISEN

‘He is risen,  He is all round the world, where no one can stop Him.” 

Next Sunday’s Gospel tells us that it was still night time when Mary of  Magdala ran to the tomb of Jesus, and  … to her horror, or… to her surprise, or …  still, to her satisfaction, she found out the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty.

I am rather curious. I would like to know, why did it have to be a woman (Mary), to be the first to make such a discovery ? Jesus used to be surrounded and followed by twelve Apostles, all men, by seventy two disciples, maybe, all men, by many other men  …  and women. Why did it have to be a woman?

We might go back to Genesis and recall the fact that it was a woman, Eve,  who committed the first act of disobedience, nor forgetting her accomplice Adam. Eve, had struck a false note, a discordance. She went out of tune of God’s Plan. As our dear friend, Fulton Sheen so wonderfully puts it; God took that false, discordant note, travelling down the ages, and to make good use of it, He presented it to another woman. From that false, discordant note the new woman, the New Eve, Mary of Nazareth, formed, shaped, composed a new Symphony, a Symphony of Love, better known as the Incarnation.

She accepted the baton and the empty manuscript from God Himself, during the Annunciation.

It was a false note, but taken on its own a new composition was created. Mary accepted the challenge, to be the New Maestro, and produced the Symphony. We, as her children, were, and, still, are, invited to take part in the performance of this Symphony. Each and every one of us playing his / her own instrument, according to each and every personal talent.

The pendulum which was swung to its extremity by the woman Eve, has been moved back along the arc to find its  place, by another woman, Mary, and NOW, another Mary, of Magdala, must have been chosen by God, who knows, because of her faith in His Resurrection. She was chosen to give moving the pendulum. She MUST have believed that He was going to rebuild the destroyed Temple after three days.

She was under the Cross with the other Marys, she sinned much, she loved much she repented much and she was rewarded much, accordingly. I consider her as the first Missionary, because she spread the ‘Good News’ to Peter and John.

With this reasoning, I think, I have satisfied my curiosity. Yes, Mary deserved to be the first to discover that the Master had risen from the dead. Do we ever stop to reflect about the many curious happenings in the Life of Christ ? I mean;  Peter was the one who sinned three times over against the community, against Jesus and against himself, the Three Denials, YET, it was him, Christ chose to be the leader of HIS Church, Mary, a renowned sinner, was the first to discover the empty tomb and the first Missionary, the good thief was the first one to enter heaven … he manage to steal heaven (with all due respect).

Repentance is the key word. Repentance was the common factor of these three persons; Peter, Mary of Magdala and the good thief. We have to apply that formula to our life. Being weak humans, we are bound to fall a thousand times, but, as long as we do get up and start afresh…there will be joy in Heaven for our sake. Let’s hope, one day we shall be in the good company of Peter, Mary and Disma.