John 20:1-9*
I’ve always loved the early morning. I was usually the first up at home and loved to be in school extra early. There is something about the quiet and the dark that prepares me for the day. Often in the morning I find that my heart and my mind have found a solution to a problem or that a difficulty from the day before doesn’t look quite so bad. Neuroscientists tell us that our cortisol levels are raised in the morning, so things really do look and feel much better.
I can easily picture myself with Mary Magdalene, having awoken from a light sleep and wanting to be at the place where Jesus was laid. I can picture myself standing by the entrance to the tomb and waiting a while before I can look right in. I imagine the dark as a kind of protection for the confusion that Mary feels.
What begins in darkness for Mary ends in dawn and recognition as Jesus speaks her name. This moment of encounter always makes my heart beat faster. At Turvey the Gospel is sung at our Easter Vigil and the music reaches a beautiful crescendo at this point. ‘Rabbuni’ resonates through the whole chapel. I am struck by the need in all of us to have someone say our name and to know us as we truly are. Mary’s exclamation of ‘Rabbuni’ is our cry of recognition too.
Where do you recognise the face of the Risen Christ?
* At Turvey we use this Gospel every year at our Easter Vigil.