After the other women left, Mary was alone. She wept for her dead beloved friend. They had found the tomb empty. Mary was crushed even further in her anger, disappointment, emptiness, and hopelessness. She tried being strong, offering comforting to the others. She hadn’t known her dear friend as long as them, being a new comer to his circle of friends. She felt forsaken, fearing of what was to become of her now.
She
hadn’t slept or eaten for days. When she
tried to eat, to satisfy the other women’s wishes, she became sick. She was exhausted ready to collapse to the
ground. Her eyes were red and swollen,
cheeks raw, and mouth dry with cracked lips.
She forced herself to breathe.
She
and the other women came to the burial site to finish burial anointing. Discovering tomb open, body missing, and
burial linens laying in the dirt, they feared grave-robbers had come in the
night. Mary shivered in the morning air
and wrapped her shawl tighter, finding neither comfort nor warmth. Horrified, broken, and distrait, Mary lost
all sense of her surroundings. Her pain
pierced her, as if, it had been her body nails were driven into. Sorrow and anger tangled in her mind as she
tried understanding why her dear, kind, caring companion was so brutally
killed - crucified.
She
wished her dear friend was still alive.
He accepted her for who she was and never judged her past. He invited her into his intimate circle of
friends and followers. Many who had
betrayed him, denied him, abandoned him, and hidden in fear. She had
hidden in fear, too. Could she have done
something to prevent his death? Maybe
she was the blame, for what she had been, that brought about the crucifixion. Had she betrayed, denied, and abandoned
him?
He,
yes he had accepted her. Do the others
truly accept her or do they just tolerate her, now to abandon her? She had not always felt welcomed or approved
by the community, especially the men. She felt the others’ resentment as
their teacher invited her on errands or to talk and pray together. What
was she to do? She could not return to
her old way of life. Confusion and devastation rang loudly through her
mind. Mary thought of her own death.
Deep
in thoughts of despair, Mary was oblivious to the presence of someone with
her. But something within nudged her to
look up. Through her glazy-unfocused
eyes she assumed it was the gardener. “Do you know where they took
him?” Unsure if she spoke aloud or just
thought it?
Then
she heard her name. “Mary. Mary it is I, Jesus, your beloved friend. I
live, and now, I also live within you.
Mary’s
mournful tears turned to tears of hope, being filled with the Spirit of
Peace. Bright morning sunlight comforted
and warmed Mary. Before her was a
banquet of beautiful colors, sweet bird song, and her beloved friend,
Jesus. She wept tears of joy, rushing to tell the others that Jesus was
alive.
The
biblical story of Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that Easter is also the
celebration of OUR RESURRECTION in Christ’s Mission of justice and peace. Jesus calls us to gratefully receive and
generously share God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace.
Our
lives, communities, country, and world are experiencing great exhaustion and
fear from pandemics, the economy, civil unrest, violence, war, and the Climate
Crisis. And yet, we are called out of
the pain and suffering to be filled with the Spirit of Peace.
Let
truly celebrate Easter as Mary did, rushing forth, restored with peace, joy,
and hope to share that CHRIST LIVES -- experiencing fuller God’s loving reign
even now.
Amen.
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