It is still dark. Not just early morning dark, but the kind of darkness that sits heavy on the heart. The kind you feel after loss, after disappointment, after everything you hoped for seems gone. Mary of Magdala walks toward the tomb carrying that darkness. Each step is slow. Each breath is heavy. The one who changed her life, the one who saw her, healed her, gave her dignity, is now gone. She is not coming with hope. She is coming with grief. Can you see her? The quiet path. The cool air. The silence broken only by her footsteps.
So, alone with none but God, she tip toes one step after another to the tomb very early in the morning while it is still dark. The hem of her gown soaked with the morning dew, she keeps going; one step after another. Her feet and her sandals wet from her drenched gown, she keeps going; one step after another. Occasionally, she holds her breath and quickly looks behind her because she thinks she can hear some steps behind her, but she sees no one. She keeps going, one step after another. What if something bad happens to her? What if some evil spirits decide to attack her? Do you remember those seven demons Jesus chased away from her? What if they hear about the death of Jesus and they decide to launch a fresh attack on her? What if the soldiers guarding the tomb decide to do something bad to her, or even kill her and bury her, who will take the news back home? Well, her conviction about Jesus and her love for Jesus are greater than her fear for her life. So, she keeps going, one step after another. She is ready to stand alone as long as she is standing with God.
And then, she looks up. The stone is rolled away. Everything inside her stops. She runs. She finds Peter and the other disciple and says to them: “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him!” They run to see for themselves. They see the empty tomb. Linen cloths lying there. No body. No explanation. And then they leave. But Mary stays by the tomb.
You see, many people can visit the empty places in life, but not everyone stays long enough for God to speak. Mary stands outside the tomb, weeping. She looks into the tomb again. She sees two angels, but even that does not console her. Her heart is still searching. Then she turns, and there he is. Jesus!!! But she does not recognize Him. She thinks he is the gardener. And maybe that is not a mistake. Because in a way, he is. He is the new Adam, standing in a garden again, beginning a new creation.
He said to her: “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Then he calls her by her name: “Mary!” And everything changes. Darkness breaks. Grief gives way to recognition. Death gives way to life. She answers, “Rabbouni!” which means “Teacher.” And in that moment, Mary Magdalene becomes the first witness of the Resurrection. The first to carry the greatest news the world has ever heard: He is risen.
Do you see what God is doing? In the beginning, in the Book of Genesis, a woman, Eve, stood in a garden, and through her, disobedience, sin, entered the world. But God did not abandon his plan. He chose another woman, Mary, the Blessed Virgin, who said “Yes,” and through her obedience, salvation entered the world. And now, in another garden, God chooses a woman again, Mary of Magdala, not to bring sin, but to proclaim victory: death is dead!
In a culture where the testimony of women was often dismissed, God entrusts the greatest message to a woman. Why? Because God does not see as the world sees. The world writes people off. God raises them up. The world overlooks. God calls by name. The world says, “You are not enough.” God says, “You are chosen.”
And that brings us to the empty tomb. The tomb is empty, not just to prove that Jesus is alive, but to reveal something about you. There is more in you than the world can see. There is hidden life. Hidden strength. Hidden purpose. But like Mary, you have to stay. You have to seek. You have to be open to hearing your name called by the Risen Lord. Because resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus. It is something he wants to do in you.
Maybe you feel like your story is over. Maybe you have been labeled, dismissed, or forgotten. Maybe someone has already decided what your life will be and covered you with a stone. But Easter says: the stone is rolled away. What was sealed is now open. What was buried can rise. What was written off can be rewritten. And when Jesus calls your name, everything changes. So today, stand with Mary in the garden. Listen. Jesus is calling you, not by your failure, not by your past, but by your name. And when you hear him… don’t hold on to the tomb. Run. Carry the message. Live the new life. Yes, the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is still raising people the world has given up on; and that includes you.
Homily for Easter Sunday Year A 2026
What a beautiful Easter Sunday sermon. We are so lucky to have you at our parish, Fr.
Deanna and Gary Turton
Thank you so much for your kind words, and for your music ministry, Deanna and Gary. God bless you!
A really nice homily Fada. I hope you had a wonderful Easter!!!
Thank you so much, Keith. Happy Easter!