Mary's Desperation Ended Up Being a Gift

All week we’ve pondered Mary. Once again we get a window into why she had such great access to Jesus… and are invited into that same sort of relationship.

Easter Sermon
Aurelia Davila Pratt

Have you ever noticed how Mary
was the first to arrive
and last to leave
the empty tomb?

Peter and John came,
saw,
believed,
and left
as if they had some hope that going back was the thing to do.
Maybe for them it was.

But Mary’s grief was too heavy
her hopelessness too great
so she stayed.

Mary’s grit and tenacity
is the same grief-laden energy
that compelled her to come early and stay late.

I’m reminded of Jacob
who once wrestled with God
until he wrenched a blessing
from that holy encounter.

Mary’s approach to the tomb
was not unlike that wrestling
that demand for a blessing
and as the first witness to Resurrection
I think it’s worth our attention!

Could it be that we
are not lesser for our questions
or lacking for our uncertainty?

Could our hopelessness be, like Mary
not a sign of a faltering faith
but an entry point for Divine proximity?

Could our doubt, our heavy hearts
and cynicism
be positioning us for
the stuff of resurrection?

Are we right where we should be?