Happy Easter Tuesday!
Today's gospel reading is one of my favorites of the Easter season. John 20:11-18
image: Harold Copping (1863-1932)
Mary Magdelene is weeping in the garden when she meets the Gardener, Jesus. She does not realize it is Him until He calls her by her name. I can only imagine her immense joy and astonishment to discover that she is in the presence of her Beloved Teacher once again. She rushes to embrace Him, verifying with her touch that it is really, truly Him and not some figment of her imagination.
In so many ways, Mary is you and me. Jesus is right there with us, always, and sometimes we are so focused on ourselves and our way of doing things that we do not acknowledge Him until we listen and hear Him call our name.
Why is it so hard to see Him sometimes?
He is talking to us and we don't even recognize Him.
He knows your name and speaks it to you.
You hear Him call you, the voice of your beloved friend, teacher, confidant. The love and goodness in His voice convicts your heart and you know that you are His.
But, you can't hold on to Him. He says to Mary, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father." (John 20:17) He needs you to LET GO so He can complete His mission and you can GROW more fully into yours.
We can learn a lot from our experiences and all that has happened in our lives, good and bad. However, Jesus doesn't want us to stay there. He has asked each and every one of us believers to joyfully proclaim the truth and the hope of the Resurrection of Christ in our own unique way. We do this through our vocations and current season of life, keeping Christ at the center of all we do as we love and serve others as only we can.
Yes, we are in full-on celebration mode this week, but don't let all the hard work of Lent be for not. Keep moving forward with all that you have learned about simplicity and being the person God has made you to be.
Simplicity defined: a spiritual discipline that trains the soul to fulfill its God-given mission.
Let's follow Mary Magdelene's lead as we hear the voice of Christ call our name, inviting us to let go and grow. We have work to do!
