"Mom?" "Son?" The Risen Jesus greets His Mother

Mary sees her Son with the cross. St Ignatius considers her meeting Him in glory.

“Mom?”

“Son?”

Jesus is Risen! Alleluia, truly He is Risen! This Easter we celebrate the glorious Resurrection of Christ from the dead.

And who knew Him better than anyone else? His Mother.

Who spend more time with Him than anyone else? Mary, His mother.

Who was the only one who was with Him from His conception and birth, throughout His entire life, and all the way to His suffering and death on the cross? Only Mary, our mother.

To whom did the Risen Jesus first appear, after His resurrection from the dead? Of course, Mary, His mother.

This is the obvious truth for St Ignatius Loyola, as recorded in the Spiritual Exercises: the Resurrected Jesus appeared first to His mother. Though not described in the New Testament, this was a popular devotion in Spain and parts of Europe throughout the middle ages. St Ignatius encourages us to contemplate Christ visiting His mother at her home. We might imagine the dialogue between the Blessed Mother and her Son.

“Mom?” “Son?”

Mary last saw her Son on Good Friday. His friends wrapped His broken Body in burial cloths and placed Him in the tomb. They rolled a stone across the tomb, completing His burial. Hours earlier, He had died on the cross. Bleeding and suffering for hours, He breathed His last as Mary gazed at Him through her tears. She saw Him die. She saw His lifeless Body taken down from the cross. She held Him many times as a boy. She holds him once more before His burial in the tomb.

He greets her early on Easter morning. “Mom?”

“Son? Is that you? Is it really you!”

He brings her joy in this glorious visit on Easter morning. She embraces Him again, weeping again, now smiling through tears of joy.

He has a Body-- a risen, glorious Body. His disciples do not recognize Him at first. He is different, mysterious. He can pass through locked doors and appear in different places that are miles apart in mere moments. It is only when He calls their names or shares the Eucharist with them that they realize: it’s Him, it’s really Him!

“Mom, yes, it’s Me. It’s really Me.”

The Risen Jesus brings us joy. He draws us out of desolation and into the consolation of His Resurrection. He literally went through hell and back for us. He comes to save us. Our God saw us sinking into sin and death and He pours out His life to save us. He holds nothing back, but gives us His life.

Jesus says to us, “Yes, it’s Me. It’s really Me.” He is the Alpha and Omega; Son of God and Son of Mary. He offers us to share in His joy and glory this Easter. He is Risen! Alleluia, truly He is Risen!

originally posted April 2017, http://www.whretreat.org/blog/2017/4/13/weekend-reflections-for-41417