Encountering Christ: An Easter Reflection

"We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." - St. Pope John Paul II

Today is Easter Sunday. He is risen! As you celebrate the joys of Easter, I would like to invite you to reflect on one biblical figure's encounter with Christ after His Resurrection.

As followers of Christ, there are several things we can learn from Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene was the first to encounter Christ after His Resurrection; scripture tells us "When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons" (Mark 16:9). At first, she did not recognize the Lord until He revealed Himself to her: "When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus... Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned around and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbouni,' which means Teacher" (John 20:14,16). The moment when she recognized and responded to Christ was profound. She was unable to recognize His presence until He chose to speak to her. Once she encountered Him, she was not passive, but responded to Him! After her powerful encounter with Christ, Mary Magdalene witnessed to what had happened. Scripture tells us "Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord,' and what he told her" (John 20:18).

How often do we encounter the Lord in our lives, yet fail to recognize Him? When we don't have those "mountaintop moments" (such as a powerful encounter with Christ during a retreat) it can be easy to feel that the Lord is far off and not present to us, but I believe He is more present to us than we think. Oftentimes we do not perceive the Lord's presence and involvement in our lives until He gives us the light to see His presence and activity. In those profound moments where we truly encounter Christ, our lives can be changed if we cooperate with His grace. Like Mary Magdalene, we should not remain passive but respond to Christ when He reveals Himself to us.

I believe that once we have encountered the Lord, we should be like Mary Magdalene and profess to others what He has done. I believe this is an important part of evangelization. If we want to lead others to Christ, we must witness to His presence in our lives!

As you celebrate the joy of the Easter season, I invite you to reflect on how the Lord has revealed Himself to you and to respond to Him!

Geo

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament © 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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