Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. Jn 20:1
Usually, I prefer to focus on the resurrection and all the signs of new life that springtime brings in the northern hemisphere. This year I’m pondering (read “caught in the midst of”) circumstances that lead to resurrection.
Resurrection happens in the midst of darkness. While it was still dark, Mary went to the tomb expecting only to complete the rituals of death for one she loves. At first, she finds only an empty tomb. But Mary stays there. And there, in a place surrounded by pain and death, she witnesses the Risen One.
Ministering in a home for immigrant women, I am witness to the pain of our new arrivals who have lost everything—home, family, language, culture. Now they find themselves threatened again as they try to rebuild their lives. Vulnerable hearts feel empty; darkness surrounds them. Promises that things will get better seem hollow and as empty as the tomb. Many, like Mary, are only taking the next necessary step…and then they wait.
Dawn comes gradually, a slow transition from darkness to light until, suddenly, the sun breaks over the horizon. Vulnerable hearts gradually open once more to possibilities. One-woman graduates from high school. A child suffering the effects of trauma finally sleeps through the night. Another woman receives work authorization for 5 years—and we all rejoice.
Resurrection comes in big and small ways when we’re open to see it. It arrives in the midst of darkness and pain in God’s timing, out of our control. We can only prepare for it by being present in the darkness, standing with those who are suffering, ready to rejoice with them when the light dawns.
We wish you courage in the midst of darkness as you await resurrection as well as the immeasurable gift of accompanying those who experience resurrection as we stand with them.
Sister Kathlyn Mulcahy serves on the congregational leadership team and is in ministry at Bethany House of Hospitality in Chicago.
