Being Known and Seen

Tuesday in Easter Week

Today's Readings:
[ Acts 2:14, 36-41; Ps 33:1-5, 18-22; Jn 20:11-18 ]

Mary stands weeping outside the tomb. The world, as she knew it, has ended. Even the body of the Lord she loves seems to have been taken. In Gospel reading she pleads, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him.” Her grief is raw, honest, and unguarded.

And then—everything changes with a single word: “Mary!” 

This is the moment of recognition. Not through argument or proof, but through relationship. The Risen Christ calls her by name, and she knows him.

From a Franciscan perspective, this moment is deeply fitting. Francis of Assisi emphasized a personal, loving encounter with Christ—one that engages the heart before the intellect. God is not distant or abstract. He is near, intimate, calling each creature into relationship. Just as Mary is known and named, so too are we.

Meanwhile, in Acts, Peter proclaims boldly: “Repent, and be baptized… in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven”. The response is immediate. Thousands are baptized. The grief of Good Friday has given way to the joy of new life.

Yet notice the movement: Mary’s quiet, personal encounter and Peter’s public proclamation are not opposed. They belong together. The Church is born from hearts that have first heard their name spoken by the Risen Lord.

Psalm 33 reminds us: “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield”. Like Mary, we often wait in confusion or sorrow. But resurrection faith is born precisely there, in the place where we think all is lost.

Today, the invitation is simple: listen. Christ still calls your name. Not as a distant figure, but as one who knows you, loves you, and seeks you.

And when you hear him, go. Like Mary—who becomes the first to proclaim the Resurrection and becomes 'the Apostle to the Apostles'— runs to proclaim, “I have seen the Lord.”