John 20:11-18 NRSVue
11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, 12and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.
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Reflection on John 20:11-18
Inspiration from 2025-04-22 Daily Prayer
It has been said that our voices are the last part of us that changes. When Jesus called Mary of Magdalene by her name, she instantly recognised his voice. In John 10:4 we read that Jesus said that his sheep follow him for they recognise his voice. Let us, using our imagination in prayer, have him now call us by our name. ‘I have carved your name on the palm of my hand’ (Isaiah 49:16).
It was the women followers of Jesus that were the first to see the risen Lord. Mary Magdalene was rewarded for her great love for the Lord and she must have been filled with an extraordinary joy. The goal of all prayer is union with our God and, with St John of the Cross, we strive to grow in a loving attentiveness to his presence within us.
Further reflection
This tear-laden, poignant recognition scene deserves to be contemplated slowly, from within the heart of Mary Magdalene. Peter and John have looked at the empty tomb and returned to their homes. But Mary is distraught, thinking only of the Jesus whose death she has witnessed, longing at least to see his body. Is it her tears that keep her from recognising Jesus? Suddenly she hears a familiar voice call her name. Her world is transformed: /I have seen the Lord./ She looks across the boundary between life and death, which has met its master.
/ >We have cut You down > to our smaller size. >We cannot bear not knowing > who You are. >We cannot stand not knowing > what You will do next. >We, the managers of grace >in the administration of life. >How blessed we are >that You are more > than what we make of You. (Anonymous.) > / Be aware in prayer of how unlimited now the Lord Jesus is. His risen body is big enough to embrace the whole world, and compassionate enough to embrace each of us.
'Woman, why are you weeping?' the angels ask. Why is Mary weeping? For her own loss or, rather, the thought of what her friend has had to suffer? What do I seek from my relationship with Jesus?
Jesus said his sheep would know him when he called their names. Mary knows Jesus when he speaks her name to her. Can I hear him speak mine to me? What do I experience in this precious moment of encounter?
Mary ‘turned around’ and saw Jesus. I ask God to give me the strength I need always to be ready to turn around, to look again, that I may see and recognise Jesus’ presence in my life.