John 20:11-18
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rab-bo’ni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Mag’dalene went and said to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Homily:
Grief can be blinding.
Until Jesus called Mary by name, she could not see that He was right before her.
Be patient with those who grieve. Be gentle with them. Remind them of who they are and what about them remains unshaken in spite of grief. You never know which word will make them become more conscious of the life in front of them.
And if you are the one grieving. Remember that death was the only thing guaranteed from the start of life’s journey. Every other thing was a bonus. But there is a resurrection. A life after death. A life of untainted bliss. As much as it hurts not to have the one you grieve for, take solace in the fact that you are a testimony to their life’s work. Spread it, while building your own work.