“Seeing the obvious is often harder than seeing the hidden!”

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside awakens." - Carl Jung: (1875 – 1961: was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology.)

Gospel Text: (JN 20:11-18)

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.

And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb

and saw two angels in white sitting there,

one at the head and one at the feet

where the Body of Jesus had been.

And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,

and I don't know where they laid him."

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,

but did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?

Whom are you looking for?"

She thought it was the gardener and said to him,

"Sir, if you carried him away,

tell me where you laid him,

and I will take him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary!"

She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni,"

which means Teacher.

Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me,

for I have not yet ascended to the Father.

But go to my brothers and tell them,

'I am going to my Father and your Father,

to my God and your God.'"

Mary went and announced to the disciples,

"I have seen the Lord,"

and then reported what he had told her.

Today’s Gospel presents Mary Magdalene at Jesus’ tomb. Initially she does not perceive the presence of the Christ. Such encounters are not unique to her. The recognition of the risen Jesus often takes time on the part of his disciples. The passage from an early chapter of the Acts of the Apostles suggests what may be more important for meaningful engagement; we are moved less by a touching of the senses than by a touching of the heart.

So often we only see that which we are ready to see and hear that which we are ready to hear. Our mindset determines what, how and when we take in information.

Rather than training, experience and grit, my personal motivation (growing out of what is in my heart) is likely the greatest influence on how much I am aware of things and the extent to which I am willing to take action.