Yeah, I didn’t think it was Jesus’ mother, but your comments about how Jesus spent Holy Week with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus made me wonder if it was that Mary.

No, I don’t think anyone thinks that the other Mary was Jesus’ mother. Other Marys listed in the Paschal narratives include “Mary the mother of James and Joseph (Matt 27:56 and Mark 15:40, Luke 24:10) and “Mary, wife of Clopas” (John 19:25). So likely the other Mary was one of those…though we don’t know. It is always good to ask these questions and wonder. Thanks for raising the question.
Mary Ortwein

I had always thought that Jesus was being quite harsh to Mary Magdalene in telling her to stop clinging to him. I had imagined that she had gone to him for a hug, and after a quick hug, He told her to let go. It was only a few years ago that I realized that it was probably an incredibly long hug, and that Jesus had to eventually tell her to start her mission of evangelization. But it was a long hug. I just had to read between the lines of John’s quick delivery.

Mary O, is “the other Mary” the sister of Martha and Lazarus? I don’t think it’s Mary, Jesus’ mother. I think she would have gotten a bigger mention than just “the other Mary.” Lots of Marys in the Gospels at the different crucifixion and resurrection depictions. Hard to know who they all are, I wonder if Biblical scholars have identified them all.

I recently (last year? Two years ago? No, I doubt that it was that long ao) started thinking that the reuniting of Jesus and Mary (His mother) must have been so precious and emotional that none of the Gospel writers mention it. Clearly, she was still alive after Jesus’ resurrection, so they must have reunited. I think that it was such an intimate, family-only topic that the Gospel writers gave Jesus and Mary their privacy (kind of like calling Matthew the tax collector “Levi”). There seems to be no reason to leave it out, other than respecting a family’s privacy in its moment of miraculous recovery from grief. The Gospels don’t mwntion how Mary was there when her Son’s Body was taken down from the cross, but the Stations of the Cross depict it. Michelangelo’s Pieta statue depicts it. Again, probably too intimate grief for a wide audience.

It seems that the fear these women were experiencing was one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gift of holy fear. This is not a fear in the normal sense of being afraid. Rather, it’s a fear that is better defined as a deep reverence, wonder and awe. It’s a gift that enabled these women to recognize the profundity of what they were presently experiencing. They were in awe, holy shock, amazement and filled with joy all at the same time. They would have suddenly experienced the amazing realization and hope that Jesus had beaten death itself. They were most likely confused but also filled with a faith that left them with a conviction that something extraordinary had just taken place. ”

Dear A, I read your note to me last night. Thank you for the encouragement. It was a warm, beautiful day yesterday, and since our cathedral had a noon mass (the last Easter mass in the City) I showered, got dressed, caught the bus early enough to arrive in good time before the cathedral filled to overflowing. I felt better than I’ve felt in a long time, but I have a feeling I have a very long journey ahead of myself. Thank you again for caring.

A few years ago on a pilgrimage, the priest commented in his homily “What good is it if the bread and wine are changed and we are not”. I’ve kept this thought in my mind ever since.

God bless