I love etymology, especially the meaning of names. I received a children’s book of saints for my first communion which said, in the entry about Mary the Mother of Jesus, that the name “Mary” meant “incense that rises up to God.” I looked up the name “Mary” as an adult because it is one of my names, and found that that meaning, while a pious image, is not quite right. Most name etymology websites tell me that “Mary” is related to Hebrew verbs “mara” or “marar.” “Mara,” to be bitter or strong, could be related to “myrrh,” a bitter and fragrant spice used to anoint sacred places, kings, and priests (and in incense, sometimes).  “Marar,” to be rebellious or obstinate, is related to Miriam, Moses’ sister, whose name means “their rebellion.” Some take the name even farther back to the Egyptian word “mry,” meaning beloved.

Mary Magdalene has been seen in light of each meaning of her name over the centuries, depending on which other woman in the Gospels people have conflated with her. We know from scripture that she experienced conversion and healing through Jesus, that she remained with Jesus through his crucifixion, and that she was the first (or at least among the first few) to see Jesus after the resurrection. She was the first evangelist of the resurrection. She must have been very close to Jesus to be available to such a revelation.

I invite us to place ourselves in that resurrection scene in today’s Gospel.

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark,and saw the stone removed from the tomb.

What does the scene look like, smell like, sound like?
Who are you in this scene? Where are you in relation to Mary and/or the tomb?
When Mary sees the stone is gone from the tomb’s entrance, what is your reaction?

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”

What are you thinking and feeling during the run back to Peter and the other disciple? How do the other disciples react when Mary tells them what she saw?

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomband saw two angels in white sitting there,one at the head and one at the feetwhere the Body of Jesus had been.

What do you feel as Mary weeps? What is your reaction on seeing the angels? What do the angels look like?

And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

What is your response to the angels’ question?

She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.”

How do you feel at Mary’s response?

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.

What do you notice about this person you don’t recognize? What does Mary look like as she sees this person?

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”

How would you respond to Jesus’ questions?

She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”

What does Mary’s response move within you?

Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

Jesus also says your name. How does he say it? How do you react?

She turned and said to him in Hebrew,“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.

How do you address Jesus when you recognize him? What does this mean to you?

Jesus said to her,“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

How do you respond as Jesus says this to Mary, or to you?

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,“I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he told her.

What is the journey to the disciples like this time? What are you thinking and feeling during that time? How does Mary deliver the news to the disciples? How do you respond as she does so, or feel as you do so?