Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 11, 2023
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he had told her.
Reflection
Beginning in March 2020, many of us were forced to face the gritty reality of grief as the world plunged into the beginning of a pandemic. Scores of people became isolated, prevented from gathering with their communities, thousands were hospitalized, and thousands died. After all we’ve been through, today’s gospel really asks all of us, “Why are you weeping?”
Just before the shutdowns occurred, I faced this same question of grief as my 25 year-old daughter Elizabeth passed away. God had finally taken her home after a lifetime of medical challenges.
Today Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus in this gospel passage after she was called by name. At what may have been Mary’s lowest moment, a desperate search in an empty tomb for someone very close to her, she was called by Jesus to “go to my brothers and tell them” what she had seen and heard from Jesus. I too, at one of my lowest periods, believe Jesus began calling me to discern whether the permanent diaconate is how I am to witness, preach, and serve the larger community.
It is important for each of us, as we weep and wonder whether Jesus is in our lives, to remember God is present at our lowest moments. The all-loving God, who is always with us, cares enough to call each of us by name with an invitation to believe and share the good news.
As I continue in my journey of discernment and the process of diaconate formation, I still feel the grief of the passing of my youngest daughter. Although challenging, I know this grief is also an invitation to lean on my heavenly Father and to trust the promises of Christ.
As we meditate on the resurrection in this Easter season, I pray that each of you will hear God call you by name too.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, by appearing to her as risen and uttering her name, you transformed Mary Magdalene’s grief and sent her to proclaim the news that you were alive. Help us to hear you tenderly speak our names, so that we may know your living presence, and also know ourselves made new by the resurrection. You live and reign with the Father and Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Stanislaus, one of the most famous Polish saints, was born in Poland in 1030. His parents were from a noble family, yet they were childless until their fervent prayers were answered with the birth of Stanislaus. As a result of this gift to their prayer, they dedicated their new baby to the service of God.
He was educated and ordained a priest, and his bishop gave him a prominent position in the cathedral in Krakow. He was an eloquent preacher and a great example of holiness—his words and actions inspired both laypeople and clergy. People came from all over for his advice.
The bishop offered to step down from his office so that Stanislaus could lead the Church there, but the saint would not hear of it. When the bishop died, though, the pope named him bishop of Krakow in 1072. As bishop, he continued his preaching and made regular visits to the people under his care. It is said that his house was crowded with poor people and that he maintained a list of widows and other people in crisis so that he could regularly offer them assistance.
The king of Poland at the time, Boleslaus II, was a cruel man known for his savagery in war and in the way he ruled his people. Stanislaus tried to correct the king, noting the scandal that his behavior caused, but he did not change his ways. When the king forcefully kidnapped the wife of a nobleman, the Polish nobility turned to government and Church leaders to do something. No one wanted to offend the king and incur his wrath, but Stanislaus was not afraid. He threatened the king with excommunication.
When the king did not release the nobleman’s wife, Stanislaus formally excommunicated Boleslaus. When the king tried to enter the cathedral for Mass, the priests would not celebrate the liturgy in his presence by order of Stanislaus. Boleslaus tracked Stanislaus down, found him in a chapel outside the city, and ordered his guards to kill him. They refused, and he entered the chapel with his own sword and killed Stanislaus.
Stanislaus’ body was cut to pieces and thrown about the countryside to be eaten by wild animals. Legend has it that eagles protected the remains until they could be collected and preserved as relics, some of which rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. He is the patron saint of Poland, and his image is used here with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Stanislaus, you are the patron saint of Poland who was not afraid to stand up to a cruel king—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Stanislaus is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed February 21, 2025.