The resurrection was unexpected, at least in part. On Easter Sunday, the grief-stricken Mary Magdalene came to the tomb first and discovered it was empty. She went outside weeping. Ours is a God of surprises. Today, Tuesday in the Octave of Easter, we listened to the same account again as the first witness of Jesus' resurrection and to whom the risen Christ
first
appeared. How come she went before anyone else? She was a close friend of Jesus in his earthly life. With Jesus and the disciples, she found true friendship. It was a friendship that transformed her and made her whole from the troubles of her life.
Jesus led her to holiness and faith. In response, s
he generously supported the disciples' ministry and became a gracious benefactor. In this scenario, Jesus appeared to Mary as a gardener which she didn't recognize at first. This tells us that the resurrected Christ is able to penetrate to the man standing by, who happened to be a gardener. In turn,
Jesus commanded her to announce to the disciples the resurrection. Loudly, she said,
I have seen the Lord!
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