Dear friends in Christ,
Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene. You can read the assigned Gospel reading for today (John 20:11-18) to see one of the reasons we celebrate her today. When she went to the tomb on Easter morning, she was understandably astounding, puzzled, and perhaps sad to find the tomb empty. One can hardly imagine what it would be like if one went to care for the body of a deceased loved one, only to find an empty tomb.
But then, unfettered joy. Mary Magdalene meets Jesus. When she recognizes him, she hastened to the other disciples to bear witness and Good News. “I have seen the Lord.”
Confusion and despair are natural parts of our lives, and the church is no exception. But we should follow the example of Mary. When she recognized the presence of her Lord, she believed. And she proclaimed. The Gospel of the risen Jesus Christ was first told by this brave, grieving woman who opened her mind to God’s power to raise the dead—and then told others what she had seen.
Jesus stands ready to meet us, too, in our confusion and despair. And we do well to behold, believe, and proclaim.
Whatever challenges we face in our own lives and in the world are no match for the God who can raise the dead. It’s not always easy to believe that, so today let’s treasure the example of Mary Magdalene. And let us give thanks that she is among the cloud of witnesses cheering for us.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
More from our ministry:
Pray with us this feast day – and every day: prayer.forwardmovement.org
Mary’s words and why they matter: Bible Women
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