An Encounter With the Risen ChristNäide

Life can be hard at times, and we often go through times of sadness and depression. In those moments it seems that our Lord is not there, that he has gone, or that we have distanced ourselves from Him. And, it is true that blinded by our sadness, we may not be able to see Him.

Jesus' disciples and followers were devastated after his friend, with whom they shared three years, died. Many of them no longer knew what to do and others hid. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, but she did not find the body of her Master, and now she was even sadder. Confusion, sadness, and helplessness dominate Mary and she can only express it through crying. In Mary's mind, it seems that it was not enough that her friend died, but that her body was also stolen. It seems that instead of getting better, everything keeps getting worse: the night gets darker before dawn. But a man enters the scene and asks her why she is crying and who she is looking for. At that moment she gives Mary the opportunity to be honest with him and tell him the reason for her sadness. She tells him what she thinks has happened. At that moment this man calls her by her name: Mary; and now everything is quite clear, the sadness that was obfuscating her has gone due to her meeting with her Master, with her “Raboni”.

In moments of sadness, it is difficult for us to see our Lord. Even if we feel that God is not there or that He is gone, He can surprise us, call us by name, and discover that He was always there by our side and that He never left. Our only duty is to recognize Him even in those moments, to recognize that He is our comfort, our joy, our guide, our teacher, our “Raboni”.