The encounter between the Risen Jesus and His Mother /Motivation for prayer at the Easter season/
Mary is our Mother. At the hour of Christ’s death, she stood by the cross in perfect spiritual unity, crucified with Him. She died there spiritually together with Him. How deep her pain was when she saw her Son dying! However, she was the only one who believed that Jesus would be raised. Even when the apostles were paralyzed by fear and pain, she stood by the cross and believed, being the most faithful disciple.
The Scripture testifies that the Virgin Mary was not with the women who went with haste to the tomb on Sunday morning. The women were Mary Magdalene and the others with her, but the Mother of God did not go to see the tomb at all. Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, an angel rolled aside the stone. But Christ did not come out of the tomb. The angel just revealed that Jesus was not there. The tomb was empty. Jesus had left. Where is His spirit and His glorious body this night? Tradition has it that the Risen Jesus first appeared to His Mother. The Scripture is silent about this encounter. Where was the Mother of God on the night of the Resurrection? How did she spend that night?
On the Annunciation Day, Mary encountered the Archangel Gabriel who said to her that God had chosen her to become the Mother of His Son: “Hail, Mary, full of grace … you will bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” Mary asked: “How will this be?” He answered: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” The people of the Old Testament treated an encounter with an angel as an encounter with God. The Blessed Virgin stands before the angel, penetrated by God’s light, and the angel speaks to her as a messenger of God, sent by God Himself. That moment marked the greatest event in the history of mankind – God assumed human nature. How did it happen? Through the Holy Spirit.
It is Saturday night. The Mother of God is in prayer again. Suddenly, it is not the Archangel Gabriel who comes to her but the Risen Jesus Himself. He is no more covered in blood and wounds as she saw Him three days ago. Now she sees Him glorified, risen. She is looking at Him, again, in perfect spiritual unity with Him.
You can realize in prayer how great joy Mary feels at her encounter with Jesus. You can imagine her looking into His face and Jesus looking at her. You can imagine what Jesus says to her and what she says to Him. Maybe she says nothing, just stands face to face with Him, looks at Him, her heart filled with inexpressible joy! The body of Jesus has been glorified, transformed, and Mary is a sharer in this. She can perceive the glory of heaven and the power of God. Perhaps a song of praise came from her heart like during her encounter with Elizabeth: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” It was very probably her frequent prayer. Perhaps she praised the Lord with these words every day.
Mary is looking at her glorified Son. Her heart magnifies the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God her Saviour. “My soul magnifies the Lord!” You can repeat these words of hers in your heart in prayer and imagine that you are now in Jerusalem and see Jesus appearing to His Mother. Look at the Risen Jesus by faith just like the Virgin Mary. Experience the moment of looking into His face. He is present here. Experience this encounter together with the Blessed Virgin and rejoice with her. She is your Mother.
The Resurrection – a prayer model: http://vkpatriarhat.org/en/?p=8151
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