The women went
to the buried body of Jesus:
Mary Magdalene, Mary, Salome—
yes, even then,
they came to care for him,
with sweet spices,
with the purpose
to preserve.
At the door of the sepulcher they asked
who might lift such heft
to reach him.
But look!
The stone
is rolled away . . .
. . . revealing
not Jesus, no,
but a man in white
who says not to fear.
He knows whom they seek
and says, “He is risen;
he is not here:
behold the place
where they laid him.
But go your way,
tell his disciples and Peter
that he goeth before you into Galilee:
there shall ye see him,
as he said unto you.” 1
And oh, do they run!
But it’s Mary Magdalene who sees
the man Jesus—alive—
and tells the disciples
the truth that continues
to convulse the whole world:
Love destroys hate,
Truth defeats lies,
and Life, divine Life,
dethrones even death.
Now you, like Mary,
can share the good news:
Christ is risen!
1 Mark 16:6, 7.
