Daily Reflections ...

In today’s Gospel, we find Mary Magdalene at the tomb, fearful that Jesus’ body has been taken away, yet still devoted and engaged in what must have presented as a devastating end. We, too, can sometimes feel that Jesus is absent from our lives, even after the experience of his gracious presence in other and earlier chapters of our lives.

After a brief encounter with two angels, Jesus appears to Mary, but she mistakes him for the gardener. Clearly, there were barriers to recognising his presence and similarly for us, there are blockages that distract or take precedence or blur our recognition. Are we not like Mary at times, overlooking the presence of Jesus in our daily lives? Do we see only what we expect or want to see, thereby losing an awareness of His presence?

The passage continues, and when Mary finally recognises Jesus, He asks her not to hold onto Him, as He has not yet ascended to the Father. This signals a transformation in their relationship. Like Mary, we are invited to know Jesus primarily through our faith and are challenged to recognise His presence in ways that replace a personal presence to one of a spiritual, heartfelt, and relational connection.

We need never feel that we have lost Jesus for He is always waiting for us to recognise Him. When we do, we realise that the Spirit of God, revealed in Jesus, dwells within each of us and permeates everything around us. Our challenge is to open our hearts and minds to the resurrection as the starting point for a new and deeper relationship not contingent upon time, place or a physical presence.

by Janeen Lamb