Easter Joy

Last updated on: March 31, 2016 at 11:45 am by Father Pablo Migone

Easter Joy 2016-03-29T20:13:51-05:00 Father Pablo Migone

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Dome over the tomb of Christ, Jerusalem

Mary Magdalene approached the tomb early on Sunday morning absolutely heartbroken. Her mind was overwhelmed with questions, doubts and sorrows. Her day had started every early, before the sun rose, so she could be at the tomb before the first signs of light. Despite her terrible pain, she came to the tomb of Jesus in order to finish preparing the body. Her sorrow turned into bewilderment as she approached, the stone had been removed from the tomb!

Mary already considered the situation could not get worse, yet it had: “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him!” Her already deteriorated spirit from the events of the preceding days weakened even more. “I cannot take it much longer,” she must have thought. “When will this suffering stop?” She searched for Peter and John to share the terrible news. Nothing made sense anymore, and her heart was heavy with sadness.

Altar of Mary Magdalene, marking where she met the Risen Christ, Jerusalem

Yet that very same day, after experiencing the depths of pain and suffering, Mary Magdalene experienced unmatchable bliss and joy. The darkness and turbulence that had settled over her vanished immediately at the first sight of her Risen Lord. Christ turned her sorrow into joy, and her loss into fulfillment.

It is possible to identify with Mary Magdalene. Most have experienced the cross and may have said to God with a rebellious or disappointed heart, “Lord, where were you?” We have shared in Mary Magdalene’s sorrow of not finding Jesus in our distress. Like her, we have panicked, perhaps even blaming God in our misfortune.

Just as Mary found hope and joy in the Risen Christ, so must we also find hope and joy in Christ. The Easter season reminds us that by rising from the dead, Jesus Christ dispelled the darkness from our souls, calming our anxieties, healing our struggles, and filling us with hope and joy.

Tomb of Christ

The Christian life invites us to live daily the experience of Mary Magdalene on the day of the resurrection. In every event, we are called to lift up our hearts and minds to God, trusting that He will fill us with hope and joy because the tomb is empty. We cannot forget the empty tomb, the source of our hope.

Just as in the case of Mary Magdalene, our sorrows find redemption and meaning in the Risen Christ. Her desperate words “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him!” are turned into joyful ones, “I have seen the Lord!” Just as the Risen Christ has the power to transform Mary Magdalene, He has the power to transform us filling us with Easter joy.

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