Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles
John 20:1-2; 11-18
From darkness to mission

“It was still dark.” That is how the Gospel begins when Mary Magdalene walks to the tomb. How often this is true in our lives—when the heart is broken, the road unclear, and hope seems lost. But like Mary, we are called to walk even in the dark. To keep seeking Jesus, even when everything seems hidden or shattered.

Mary’s journey does not end in darkness. She runs back, filled with a new fire. Her sorrow turns into mission. Her tears become testimony. She becomes the first to proclaim: “I have seen the Lord!” This is what love does—it runs, it announces, it cannot be kept silent.

She recognizes the risen Jesus when He calls her by name: “Mary.” It is in this personal encounter that the darkness lifts. The Risen Lord does not appear with spectacle, but in tenderness, with a voice that calls gently to the heart. And she answers, “Rabbouni”—Master. From sinner to witness, from weeping to proclaiming, Mary becomes the first herald of the Resurrection, the one whom the Church rightly calls Apostle of the Apostles.

This is a powerful reminder for us: no wound is too deep, no past too broken, for Jesus not to transform. Let us not cling to what was, but open ourselves to what is now—to the Spirit, to mission, to joy. Like Mary, let us go forth and tell the world: Christ is alive! He calls us by name!

And in the garden of our own hearts, may we hear that same question: “What are you looking for?” May our answer be this: “I am looking for You, Lord.”

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