Tuesday of the Easter Octave
John 20: 11-18
The Grace of Tears: A Path to Encountering Christ

Pope Francis teaches us to ask for the grace of tears, a gift that softens our hearts and prepares us to see Jesus. In a homily at the Domus Sanctae Marthae in the first year of his Papacy in 2013, he reflected on the Gospel account of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the Risen Lord (Jn 20:11-18). Her tears were not just expressions of sorrow but also of deep love. Having been forgiven much, she loved much. At the empty tomb, her weeping reflected not only grief but also the aching absence of the One who had transformed her life. Yet it was in this moment of darkness that Jesus revealed Himself to her.

Like Mary Magdalene, we, too, experience moments when our hopes seem shattered, when we feel lost or abandoned. But these moments of sorrow can become moments of grace. Tears purify, making way for divine encounter. They break through the hardness of our hearts, allowing us to recognize Christ’s presence even when all seems lost. It is often in our deepest struggles that the Lord draws near, calling us by name as He did with Mary.

Mary’s response, “I have seen the Lord,” is the ultimate testimony of faith. Even if we do not see Jesus with our eyes, we are called to recognize Him with the eyes of our hearts. He reveals Himself in the Eucharist, in Scripture, in acts of love, and in the quiet stirrings of grace within us.

May we not fear our tears but embrace them as a path to encountering Christ. And may we, like Mary Magdalene, bear witness to His living presence, proclaiming with confidence: “I have seen the Lord.”

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025