Radical Hope: An Easter Reflection

A special Easter reflection from THP Volunteer Betsy Bowman ('09-'10)

Mary Magdalene announces the good news to the terrified twelve Apostles as they hide from reality, huddled behind locked doors in a closed room on that first Easter morning.

All four Gospels name her by name as the one to whom the Risen Christ appears first. It is she whom Jesus calls by name. It is she who embodies the whole Church on earth in those first hours, on that first day: the Apostle to the Apostles.

Why Mary? Perhaps, because she’s the one who never gave up. She bore witness to Jesus’ passion and his violent crucifixion, and she kept vigil at his burial. Then she came back to the tomb on the third day ─ or maybe she had never left?

In the face of so much pain, terror, sadness, and violence, Mary’s faith did not fail. She knew ─ or she hoped ─ that Jesus’ promises were true.

In our times, we behold the fear and suffering of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, and the hopelessness of our neighbors battling addiction, and the persistent chaos and violence surrounding our friends in Haiti. As we offer encouragement to have faith, and to not lose hope, and to trust in God, we may begin to worry that our words ring false, like platitudes. Do we actually believe all this resurrection stuff?

And yet ─ we do. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are an invitation to wild and radical hope. They are the blueprint for all of human history.

Meanwhile, Mary reminds us that we are called to action, not simply to elegant statements of belief. She invites us to join her on a path of accompaniment, of witness, of love, of showing up and never giving in to the fear and cynicism that surround us.

As we celebrate this Easter mystery of radical love, may we, like Mary Magdalene, embody unshakable faith and hope in the face of fear and suffering. May we, like her, commit ourselves to show up and act with love even when violence and chaos seems to swirl around us. And like her, may our faithfulness and hope bring us to experience the very real presence of Christ in our midst, so that we may have the courage to share with everyone we meet, “I have seen the Lord!”

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