Seeing Jesus Through the Tears

How beautiful that Jesus meets Saint Mary Magdalene in her pain. Jesus is not repelled by her tears or the depth of her sadness, but rather He calls to her and approaches her in the midst of her grief and suffering.

Today is Easter Tuesday. Each day this week is celebrated within the Church as Easter Day. Maybe by now we have returned to work or to school, our vacations have ended, and perhaps most of the chocolate bunnies have been eaten and some of the Easter decorations are beginning to be put away. But the celebrating needs to continue, because the graces are still being given. There is still so much more Resurrection life and joy to be received.

Sometimes we don't always feel that we have received all the joy and new life we may have been hoping for at Easter. Maybe the celebrations remind us of loved ones we have lost or other sorrows we are experiencing within our hearts. Sometimes upsetting things happen during this Easter season which make us question how this could be.

Can we put ourselves in the place of Saint Mary Magdalene in this story? Can we imagine ourselves as her after she had just witnessed the trauma of watching her dearest friend and Savior put to death, and now she comes to the tomb releasing some of her pain through her tears?

Can you hear Jesus call to you as He calls to her? "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?"

Do you hear Him call your name in the midst of whatever it is you are experiencing today? Whether that be in joyful newness and gratitude of Easter blessings, or in the midst of a lasting pain you may be experiencing from unresolved issues you've been hoping God would fix. Maybe like Saint Mary Magdalene you are grieving a significant loss or experiencing some sort of deep suffering within yourself or someone you love. Or, maybe you don't really feel anything particularly bad happening right now, nor anything particularly good either. God calls to you within the ordinary and mundane as well. He calls your name. Hear Him. Open your heart to encounter His presence.

God doesn't always take away all of the pain or the dry ordinariness of daily life. But He does encounter us within whatever it is we are experiencing. And that is some joyful news. That is something very good to run and tell our friends about.

The Lord encounters us within whatever it is we are experiencing.Click to tweet

Today may each of us hear Jesus call us by name. Like the Good Shepherd who calls His little lambs, may we be able to hear His voice. May the sound of your name upon His voice fill you with renewed life and joy this Easter day. Wishing you a very blessed Easter season!

Mary Catherine Craige is a lover of creativity and learning new things. When she is not guiding the development of young children through Montessori methods, you can find her behind her harp, taking an art class, or writing silly poems. You can find out more about her here.