“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.” Luke 24:1-6
I woke up early on the first day of the week to go visit the tomb. John was up already, and he told me that he was going to go to Peter’s house, and he would meet me at the tomb. When I was getting ready to go, I heard steps outside. I opened the door, and I almost fainted. Jesus was standing in front of me.
I thought I was imagining it, but He held me. “Mother,” he said. “I am here. I am Risen!!!”
“Son, you are here!!! You are Risen indeed!!! I touched His face and His hands, which still had the holes from the nails. I couldn’t stop hugging Him. He was alive. He had resurrected.
I took Him inside and we sat down in the kitchen.
“Jesus,” I told Him. “You are alive. The past two days have been the most painful of my life. I never expected to see You again on this earth. I could not understand why You had to endure such horrific death, why You had to endure so much pain. Why?”
“Mother,” He said. “This was my mission all alone. I had to die in order to save humanity. I carried all their sins to the cross with me. By my blood, they have been redeemed.”
My heart felt like it was going to burst from all the joy and gratitude that I was carrying inside. My Son was alive. All the pain of the crucifixion was now erased in the ecstasy of the Resurrection.
He stayed with me for about an hour. Then, He said that He had to return to the tomb because the women were looking for Him.
“I’ll go with You,” I told Him.
We almost ran back to the tomb. When we got there, I saw Martha, Mary, Salome, Mary of Clopas, Sarah, and a few other women that were always following Jesus talking to two angels. The stone was rolled away from the tomb, and they looked perplexed.
Jesus approached them, and I stayed behind. At first, they did not recognize Him. But then, Jesus said: “Mary,” and their faces were transformed when they realized it was Him. They all felt down at His feet, and I heard Mary call out to Him: “Teacher, You are alive. You are Risen.”
Then Sarah saw me, and she screamed: “Mother, He is alive. He is Risen!!!”
I ran to them, and we all hugged.
While we were hugging, Peter and John arrived. They could not believe their eyes. Why were we hugging and laughing and dancing? Then Jesus turned around, and they recognized Him.
Peter ran to Him: “Master,” and he felt at His feet. “I don’t deserve to be your disciple. I denied You.”
“I know, Peter, the body is weak. But I forgive You,” said Jesus. “You will have the mission to build my new church.”
He then turned to John and He hugged him. John was crying like a little boy.
We all went back together to John’s house. Pretty soon, the news that Jesus had resurrected spread throughout Jerusalem like wildfire. People came over to John’s house to see for themselves. Some of His disciples stopped by. Some had left Jerusalem and were not able to hear the Good News until days later. Judas Iscariot, his betrayer, hung himself out of grief for what he had done. Jesus had forgiven him, but he could not forgive himself.
At night, Jesus said that He had to go but that He would return. He told us that the days ahead would be difficult because we would be persecuted. But to be strong, that He would eventually send us His Holy Spirit to guide us, strengthen us and comfort us. “My Spirit will remain with you until the end of times when I will return again,” said Jesus.
I stayed in Jerusalem for a couple of months after the Resurrection. Jesus came to visit me almost daily. Just as He predicted, we were persecuted. The chief priests made sure to spread the word that “His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.” (1) But just as He promised, He sent His Holy Spirit and this empowered His disciples to spread the Good News to all four corners of the world.
I eventually moved with John to Ephesus, from where I am finishing this journal, “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (2) My Son Jesus is not dead. HE IS RISEN!!! Yes, He is Risen indeed.
Reflection:
Mary has appeared in Lourdes, Fatima and many other places to bring us hope and to guide us to her Son. What do these appearances say about Mary’s love for humanity and her role as “Mother of the Church”?
Copyright © 2020 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
References:
- Matthew 28:13
- John 20:31
Resources from the following books are being used on this journey:
1. The Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement of the Divine History and Live of the Virgin Mother of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda
2. The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God by Fulton J. Sheen
3. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet
4. My Soul Magnifies the Lord: A Scriptural Journey with Mary by Jeanne Kun
All Bible references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise specified.
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