The Masterpiece of Motherhoodနမူနာ

Mary was the first one to see the Savior on Easter morning. She had experienced a life entangled in the curse. Darkness consumed her, and demons possessed her body until Jesus called them out. She had intimate knowledge of evil, and when she met Jesus, she was wrenched from it and released into the good. His death was unbearable. Walking through the garden to the tomb enshrouded in grief, she found the grave was empty. When Mary first saw the risen Christ, she mistook Him for the gardener. Or was it a mistake? Isn’t He the one present at the beginning of creation and the one who brings all creation back into its original order? Is it not His blood that soaks into the dirt of the garden and redeems all that we have shattered? Isn’t He cultivating the soil of our hearts, planting seeds of hope and joy deep in our souls, and bringing forth something new from ground that was once hard with frost? Is it not His still small voice that allows the fruit of the spirit to flourish in lives once claimed by the curse? While she was lost in her grief, Mary did not recognize Jesus, until he said her name. “Mary.” Just one word. She ran and fell at His feet. In the same way that Eve received her name while in a cursed state, Jesus fully sees, knows, and loves Mary just as she is, curse and all. We are no different. We share in the curse, but we also share in the love of Jesus and His Father. When Jesus looks at us, we are fully seen, known, and loved. He speaks our name. Our pain as mothers no longer defines us. His blood reaps joy in fields where we have sown seeds of grief.