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Mary Magdalene Window When Pilate received word that Jesus was dead, he released the body to Joseph of Arimathea, who laid it in his own tomb and sealed the entrance with a huge stone. But two days later, in the presence of angels, the stone rolled away, revealing that Jesus was gone. It was Mary Magdalene who first discovered the empty tomb in the early hours before dawn on the first day of the week. Mary had been a devoted follower of Jesus. She was one of a group of women healed by Jesus—he had delivered her from seven demons—who followed him and supported his ministry. Though his male disciples deserted him at the end, she and the other women stayed near the cross while Jesus died; and as the other disciples hid, these same women went to the tomb early Sunday morning to anoint Jesus’ dead body. When she saw the stone was rolled away, Mary ran to tell Peter and John. When the two arrived, they found the grave clothes lying in the tomb, and as Jesus was nowhere to be found, they returned home. But Mary remained, weeping. Soon she noticed a man whom she thought was the gardener, and asked if he had taken the body. Then he spoke her name, “Mary!” and at once she knew him. Jesus was alive! We remember Mary Magdalene as the first to meet the resurrected Christ, and to carry this news to the others—the “apostle to the apostles.” She is also a reminder of the crucial role of women in Jesus’ ministry and the life of the early Church. But most of all, Mary’s life is an example of the transformation that Jesus brings. Jesus called it being born from above. Our own resurrection starts at this point of belief, at the moment we put our whole trust in Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to make us new. Eternal life is a vibrant, intimate relationship with God through God’s Son that cannot be harmed by death, but only deepened, until it is fully realized at the coming of Christ on the Last Day. This is the Christian faith, rooted in the historical paradox of a man who died and is now alive and is the source of power and transformation for us all.
Like Stars Appearing: The Story of the Stained Glass
Windows of St. George's Episcopal Church, Dayton, Ohio | |||
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