Mary at the tomb

This is a wonderful gospel reading from John 20:11-18. It begins with one who is outside and is sad. Then, curiosity gets the better of her and she looks inside. The two messengers are there. But they don’t have a message but rather a question. “Why are you weeping?” Look inside yourself first. That is the initial message of the empty tomb. Mary’s reply is to say that some people have taken away the body of her Lord and she doesn’t know where they have put him. There is only emptiness inside – herself and the tomb. Then something startles her and she turns away from the tomb. This is often how the Lord touches us by some mysterious movement. She turns and does not recognize Jesus standing there. Jesus asks her the same question as the messengers and challenges her to look within herself and to look beyond herself. “Why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Look more closely. Remember the initial invitation in the gospel of John. “Come and see”. Mary thinks she is in a garden and that Jesus is the gardener. Indeed, this is the garden of the new creation. All Jesus does is say her name. “Mary.” When she clings to Jesus, he asks her to let him go and come to know him in a new way, as one who is at one with God – “my God and your God”. Finally, he asks her to go and find the brothers and sisters and tell them, “You have seen me and this is what I have said to you.” This is a story that invites regular reflection in terms of our own journey, the times when we sense emptiness, when we search for Jesus in our own lives and when we hear our names spoken and the call given - to go and tell others.