Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament

April 7, 2026

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

The great pall of sin and death that oppressed humanity for so long is gone, obliterated by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is truly risen from the dead. The Octave of Easter, our special period of great rejoicing, began on the primal feast of the Resurrection and continues today. The Gospels today (Matthew 28) and yesterday (John 20) recount the same story: Mary Magdalene, the only woman mentioned in all four Gospel accounts of the women at the tomb, arrives close behind Peter and another disciple to find Our Lord’s body gone.

She turns to question a stranger and only recognizes him when he calls her by name: “Mary!” It is Jesus, Our Lord and Savior! Her heart leaps with an unbounded throb of joy, and she runs back to the other disciples, out of breath but exclaiming, “I have seen the Lord!”

How wonderful that it is this strong and ever-faithful woman to whom the risen Jesus first reveals himself! First among all the Apostles and disciples! A mere woman with no agency in the male-dominated patriarchal society of the people of Israel: imagine the scorn and derision she has suffered as an unmarried woman following Jesus as part of an overwhelmingly male band of disciples.

From Magdala on the west bank of the Sea of Galilee, she is a Galilean like Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Mark’s Gospel reports that Jesus drove seven demons out of her. We do not know whether this healing involved the mind, the body, or both. She left everything to follow Our Lord.

Mary Magdalene – first to recognize her resurrected Lord! Bursting with joy, the first to announce, “He is risen!” We are but the latest members of the marvelous multitude spanning two millennia to get her message. Grant us, we pray, the patience, perseverance, faith, and love of this great saint!

Let us pray:

Dear God, we have come to the tomb weeping and mourning. Let us go forth rejoicing at the great power of Our Risen Lord and Savior! Amen.