Would You Recognize Him? (Jn 20:11-18) by Paul Westendorf

07 Apr Would You Recognize Him? (Jn 20:11-18) by Paul Westendorf

“Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping…Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?…'” ~ Jn 20:11-18 (full readings)
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Paul’s Reflections:  I don’t know about you, but today’s Gospel raised a lot of questions for me.  Why didn’t Mary recognize Jesus as He asked her “why are you weeping?”?  Was it her grief, her thoughts of the tasks she had planned for in the care for Jesus’ crucified body, her worries of what will happen next?  Or was it she was looking for the Jesus she wanted/was used to, not the risen Jesus.  How many times in our lives do we not recognize Jesus talking to us in the situations and people we deal with?  Why did Jesus first appear to Mary of Magdala?  What about the other disciples like Peter or John or even His Mother Mary?  What do we know about Mary of Magdala?  We know that she was a very troubled individual and was controlled/tormented by seven demons.  We don’t know what those demons were, but we know that Jesus cast them out and brought conversion and spiritual healing to her. We know that she never forgot that as her life works going forward were centered on Jesus and His ministry.  I think the answer is found in “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Lk 5:32).  Her path was one of being spiritually bankrupt to one of salvation as she recognized and embraced the resurrected Jesus.  What tremendous hope this brings to us all for not only our own journey, but those we are called to help.  Jesus said, “Go find my brothers and tell them…”, on their journey to (back to) God.  It is said that Mary got to her feet and ran as fast as she could.  Was Mary an early LIFE Runner (big smile)?  May God bless us, give us the wisdom to recognize Him, and the strength and humility to understand that we are all in need of His mercy and forgiveness and that of each other.
* Paul Westendorf is Membership Coordinator of the National LIFE Runners Team.  His is married to Jacquie and lives in Sioux Falls, SD.   Full bio..

Faith Challenge:   Join in for prayer for those contemplating abortion and those in the abortion industry that they may find a way out.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel..
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Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to End Abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  St. John Baptist de la Salle
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Faith Quote:  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7
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Through Christ our Lord,
Paul
Jer 1:5