John 20:1–18 – Mary Magdalene and the Healing Power of the Resurrection
“Mary.” She turned and said to Him, “Rabbouni!” – John 20:16
Brothers and sisters in the Risen Christ,
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is truly risen! Alleluia!
This Easter morning, we stand with Mary Magdalene at the edge of the tomb, in the silence of grief, in the confusion of loss. Mary comes with a broken heart. She has lost her teacher, her friend, her Savior—the one who cast seven demons from her, the one who gave her back her life. She had known healing in Jesus. But now, He is gone.
Or so she thinks.
She comes looking for the dead but finds the living. She comes expecting to mourn, but instead, she meets mercy.
And it all changes with one word:
“Mary.”
In that one word spoken by the Risen Christ, her healing is complete. Not just healing from demons in the past—but healing from despair, from grief, from hopelessness. Jesus doesn’t scold her for not recognizing Him. He doesn’t shame her tears. He simply speaks her name.
That’s the healing love of Jesus. He knows her. He sees her wounds. And He restores her from the inside out.
And He does the same for us.
Maybe some of us today carry wounds—wounds that others can’t see. Wounds of loss. Of loneliness. Of failure. Maybe we’ve been walking in a kind of Holy Saturday darkness, waiting for something to change, for hope to rise again.
Easter is that change. The Resurrection is God’s answer to every wound: “I am with you. I have conquered this. I will heal you.”
Jesus doesn’t erase the past—He transforms it. The scars remain, even in His resurrected body. But they are no longer signs of defeat—they are signs of victory. And through Him, our own wounds can become places of grace. Places where healing flows.
But here’s the key: like Mary, we must let Him find us. We must stay near the tomb long enough to hear Him call our name.
And when He does? Let us rise. Let us run with joy. Let us become witnesses, healers, and proclaimers of hope. Like Mary Magdalene, let us say to a wounded world, “I have seen the Lord!”
And in our voice, may others begin to hear Him calling their name, too.
Christ is risen. Healing is possible. And it begins today.
Amen. Alleluia.
Easter Reflection – Healing in the Risen Christ
Risen Jesus,
You found Mary in her grief and spoke her name.
In that moment, her tears turned to joy, and her wounds began to heal.
Today, I bring You the places in me that still feel broken—
the parts I hide, the hurts I carry, the doubts I fear to speak aloud.
Call my name, Lord.
Remind me that I am known, I am loved, and I am never alone.
Let Your Resurrection light shine into the tombs of my heart.
Heal me, not only in body but in spirit.
Heal my memories, my relationships, my hope.
Raise me up with You, to walk again in newness of life.
May I, like Mary, be a witness to healing love—
and share with the world:
“I have seen the Lord.”
Amen.
