Jesus Calls Us by Name

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There is something beautiful about today’s Gospel. Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb while it is still dark. When she discovers the empty tomb, she does not immediately think of the Resurrection. Like many of us, she assumes the worst. She thinks someone has taken Jesus away. Even when Jesus stands right in front of her, she does not recognize Him. It is only when Jesus says one word – “Mary” – that everything changes. She recognizes His voice because the Good Shepherd knows His sheep by name. Sometimes we think we need to find God, but today’s Gospel reminds us that God is always the first to seek us.

One of the most important lessons from Mary Magdalene’s life is that our past does not define our future. Before becoming one of Jesus’ most faithful disciples, she had experienced deep suffering and was freed by Jesus from the power of evil. She knew what it meant to be rescued by God’s mercy. That is why she stayed at the foot of the Cross when many others ran away. Love gave her courage. The Church honors her today not because she was perfect, but because she allowed God’s mercy to transform her life. That is the story of every saint. Saints are not people who never fell; they are people who kept returning to Christ.

It is interesting that the first witness of the Resurrection was not one of the Twelve Apostles but Mary Magdalene. In the culture of that time, the testimony of a woman was often not accepted in court. Yet Jesus chose her to announce the greatest news in history: “I have seen the Lord!” God often works through the people the world overlooks. He does not choose according to status, influence, or success. He chooses hearts that are open to Him.

There is another lesson hidden in this Gospel. Mary recognized Jesus not by seeing Him clearly, but by hearing Him call her name. Faith often begins the same way. There are moments when God seems absent, when life feels confusing, and when we cannot see what He is doing. Yet He continues to speak through Scripture, the Eucharist, prayer, and the quiet movements of the Holy Spirit. The question is not whether God is speaking. The question is whether we are listening. Like Mary, we need hearts that are still enough to recognize the voice of the Lord.

Today, perhaps Jesus is calling your name. Not someone else’s – yours. He knows your fears, your failures, your hopes, and your wounds. He does not call you because you have earned His love. He calls you because you are His. Like Mary Magdalene, may we leave behind our fear, encounter the Risen Christ personally, and become joyful witnesses who can honestly say with our lives, “I have seen the Lord.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for knowing me by name and loving me even when I fail to recognize You. Like Saint Mary Magdalene, help me to trust in Your mercy, listen for Your voice, and never lose hope when life feels dark. Fill my heart with the joy of Your Resurrection, so that through my words and my life, others may come to know and love You. Saint Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles, pray for us. Amen.

– Homily by Rev Fr Patrick Agbeko