Dear brothers and sisters of the Locus Mariologicus,Christ has risen, alleluia! In this holy time of Easter, we are invited to lift up our hearts in praise for the triumph of our Lord over death. Easter is the center of the Christian announcement and is always the starting point for mariological thought. Indeed, in the “hour” of Passion and Resurrection, the hour of the glorification of the Son, Jesus gives us a precious gift: by offering himself to the Father on the cross, he leaves us the Holy Spirit and, at the same time, entrusts us with his own Mother. In his last words before he expires, we hear the Lord say: “Behold your Mother” (John 19:27). Thus, at the very heart of the paschal mystery, the Blessed Virgin Mary is given to the nascent Church, represented by the beloved disciple. From that hour, Christian history becomes a reciprocal reception between the Mother of Jesus and the community of disciples: Mary welcoming the children of God, and the disciples welcoming Mary as their spiritual Mother.Mary on Holy Saturday: the silence of the tomb and the faith preserved in the interval between the cross and the ResurrectionLet us contemplate Mary in the sacred silence of Holy Saturday. After Jesus’ burial, while the apostles scatter and the disciples of Emmaus despair (cf. Lk 24:21), Mary is the one who keeps the flame of faith alive. Saint John Paul II teaches that Mary’s waiting for Christ on Holy Saturday constitutes one of the highest points of faith, for “in the darkness that envelops the universe, She fully surrenders to the God of life, recalling the words of the Son and awaiting the fulfillment of the promises.” Thus, when dawn breaks on Sunday, Mary’s heart is already prepared to receive the joyful news of the Resurrection.Although the Gospels do not explicitly relate a meeting between Jesus, the risen Lord, and His Mother, nothing prevents us from contemplating this mystery in the faith of the Church. “How could the Virgin, present in the first community of disciples, have been excluded from the number of those who encountered their risen Son?” asks Saint John Paul II. Indeed, it is legitimate to think that Mary was the first person to whom Jesus appeared after His resurrection, since she remained faithful at the Cross and preserved her faith intact in the trial. Her absence among the women who went to the tomb at dawn may be a sign that she had already met with Jesus. This ancient pious intuition has been shared by saints and theologians throughout the centuries.More importantly, Mary participated uniquely in every moment of the Paschal Mystery: she stood at the foot of the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25) and persevered in prayer in the Cenacle (cf. Acts 1:14). The Blessed Virgin Mary was probably the privileged witness to Christ’s Resurrection, thus completing her participation in all the essential moments of the Paschal Mystery. By welcoming the risen Lord, Mary becomes a sign and anticipation of humanity, which awaits the final resurrection. In her, we already see, in anticipation, the victory of life over death that God promises to all of us.
The Paschal Joy of Mary: From Passion to the Risen One and the Testimony of Patristic and Liturgical Tradition
Easter is a time of overflowing joy, and in no heart was this joy deeper than in Mary’s. After suffering at the foot of the Cross the pains of Her Son’s Passion, Mary was filled with “ineffable joy” at the victory of the Resurrection. Therefore, the Church exults and invites her to rejoice: “Rejoice, Virgin Mother!” In the Paschal liturgy, we sing of Mary as “Mother of Light,” for Christ, the Light of the world, rose gloriously from the tomb. Echoing the greeting of the Angel at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28), “Rejoice, full of grace,” the paschal “Rejoice” gives definitive form to the “Kaire” of Christ’s conception. That is, the joy of Mary’s “fiat” in Nazareth reaches its fullness in the paschal joy of the new creation.In the Regina Coeli, a prayer that replaces the Angelus during Paschal time, the whole Church joins with Holy Mary in celebrating the Resurrection. “Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia,” the antiphona prays, “for He who you merited to bear in your womb has risen, as He said, Alleluia.” As we sing this canticle, we remember Mary’s joy at the Resurrection of Jesus, prolonging in time the jubilation announced to her by the Angel at the Annunciation. Faith tells us that “the Pascal Virgin,” as we may call Mary in this context, experienced as no one else the happiness of Easter. She who is “the cause of our joy” (invoked in the Litanies) now shares in the glory of the Son and exults in God the Savior with a new song.This maternal and divine joy radiates from Mary to the whole Church and the world. The Resurrection of Christ, the source of true happiness, filled the Mother’s heart with inexpressible joy, filled the nascent Church with jubilation, and cast a new light upon all creation. “The Lord has truly risen!” This is the good news that transforms hearts. “For if Christ has not risen from the dead, our faith is vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). But He has risen, and in that we find the unshakeable certainty of our hope. The victory of Christ over sin and death is also the victory of Mary’s Heart, which fully trusted in God’s promises.
Mary in the Cenacle (Acts 1:14): The Mother of Jesus as a Living Memory and Praying Presence of the Emerging Church After Easter
After Easter, Mary remains among the disciples as a loving mother and living memory of Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles describe her persevering in prayer with the eleven in the cenacle, awaiting the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14). Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that Mary was “the protagonist, humble and discreet, of the first steps of the Christian community,” and she is “in the spiritual heart” of the emerging Church. Her simple presence among the disciples was already a sign of the gift of the Spirit, for she who had been “a temple of the Spirit” since the Incarnation now inspires the young Church with her faith and charity. As mother and model of the Church, Mary teaches us to listen to and keep the Word of God, and to remain united in fraternal communion, trusting in the fulfillment of Christ’s promises.In Mary’s school, the perfect disciple of Christ, we learn to experience Easter in depth. Benedict XVI notes that Mary “observed first and fully the word of her Son.” She loved Jesus not only as a mother but also as a humble and obedient servant. Contemplating her bold faith, which did not falter even in the darkness of Holy Saturday, Christians of all times find inspiration to trust in God’s victory. Under Mary’s maternal care, the Church experiences the presence of the Risen One among them: they gather around the Eucharist, where Christ lives and gives himself, and persevere united in prayer, certain that the Lord will fulfill his promise to be with them until the end of the age.Today, Mary continues to fulfill her maternal role in the Church, guiding the faithful on the path to holiness and always pointing us to Christ. She who “completes her participation in all the essential moments of the Paschal Mystery” invites us to enter into that mystery. The charism of the Locus Mariologicus, “to know Mary better in order to love her more,” finds its full meaning in the light of Easter. As we deepen our knowledge of Mary’s privileges, virtues, and mission, we are led to love her more. And in loving her more, we are formed by her inner dispositions to love Jesus infinitely more. Mary does not keep anything for herself: all true love for her overflows into love for Christ, for she always tells us: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Knowing and loving Mary leads us to believe more firmly in the Risen Christ and to witness to him in the world with renewed fervor.
Christ the Risen One Walks Before Us: Easter 2025 and a New Look at Faith with Mary
Dear Locus Mariologicus family,At Easter, let us renew our faith and gaze upon Christ who lives and walks before us! United to his glorious Son, the Most Holy Mary intercedes for us and walks with the Church as she journeys. She, the ‘New Jerusalem’ incarnate, radiates the light of the victorious Lamb and reflects that light upon us, her children. Let us remain close to Mary, especially at this Easter time, allowing her spirit of contemplation, her adoring silence, and her unyielding joy to educate us. Thus, our love for her will grow, and with her, we will proclaim the wonders of the Resurrection.Finally, let us come together in prayer and raise the song of praise: “Let the angelic host exult with joy, let the children of God rejoice!” for Christ has truly risen! May the joy of the Risen Lord fill your souls and families with peace and the hope that never disappoints. In the company of Mary, Mother of the Risen One, let us all have a Holy and Happy Easter, filled with the peace of Christ and the hope that does not fail.*Locus Mariologicus Team*20th April 2025, Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord, Son of Mary.The relationship of Mary to the pascal mystery of Christ is explored in the Encyclical *Redemptoris Mater* by Pope John Paul II, where Mary’s presence at Easter is presented as the highest expression of her faith and hope.Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and the Master’s Degree in Mariology.Mariology Formation: The Locus Mariologicus Institute offers a Master’s Degree in Mariology, articles, and academic resources on Mariology, Marian Apparitions, and Marian Theology.
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Christ has risen, alleluia! In this holy time of Easter, we are invited to lift up our hearts in praise for the triumph of our Lord over death. Easter is the center of the Christian announcement and is always the starting point for mariological thought. Indeed, in the “hour” of Passion and Resurrection, the hour of the glorification of the Son, Jesus gives us a precious gift: by offering himself to the Father on the cross, he leaves us the Holy Spirit and, at the same time, entrusts us with his own Mother. In his last words before he expires, we hear the Lord say: “Behold your Mother” (John 19:27). Thus, at the very heart of the paschal mystery, the Blessed Virgin Mary is given to the nascent Church, represented by the beloved disciple. From that hour, Christian history becomes a reciprocal reception between the Mother of Jesus and the community of disciples: Mary welcoming the children of God, and the disciples welcoming Mary as their spiritual Mother.Mary on Holy Saturday: the silence of the tomb and the faith preserved in the interval between the cross and the ResurrectionLet us contemplate Mary in the sacred silence of Holy Saturday. After Jesus’ burial, while the apostles scatter and the disciples of Emmaus despair (cf. Lk 24:21), Mary is the one who keeps the flame of faith alive. Saint John Paul II teaches that Mary’s waiting for Christ on Holy Saturday constitutes one of the highest points of faith, for “in the darkness that envelops the universe, She fully surrenders to the God of life, recalling the words of the Son and awaiting the fulfillment of the promises.” Thus, when dawn breaks on Sunday, Mary’s heart is already prepared to receive the joyful news of the Resurrection.Although the Gospels do not explicitly relate a meeting between Jesus, the risen Lord, and His Mother, nothing prevents us from contemplating this mystery in the faith of the Church. “How could the Virgin, present in the first community of disciples, have been excluded from the number of those who encountered their risen Son?” asks Saint John Paul II. Indeed, it is legitimate to think that Mary was the first person to whom Jesus appeared after His resurrection, since she remained faithful at the Cross and preserved her faith intact in the trial. Her absence among the women who went to the tomb at dawn may be a sign that she had already met with Jesus. This ancient pious intuition has been shared by saints and theologians throughout the centuries.More importantly, Mary participated uniquely in every moment of the Paschal Mystery: she stood at the foot of the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25) and persevered in prayer in the Cenacle (cf. Acts 1:14). The Blessed Virgin Mary was probably the privileged witness to Christ’s Resurrection, thus completing her participation in all the essential moments of the Paschal Mystery. By welcoming the risen Lord, Mary becomes a sign and anticipation of humanity, which awaits the final resurrection. In her, we already see, in anticipation, the victory of life over death that God promises to all of us.
Christ has risen, alleluia! In this holy time of Easter, we are invited to lift up our hearts in praise for the triumph of our Lord over death. Easter is the center of the Christian announcement and is always the starting point for mariological thought. Indeed, in the “hour” of Passion and Resurrection, the hour of the glorification of the Son, Jesus gives us a precious gift: by offering himself to the Father on the cross, he leaves us the Holy Spirit and, at the same time, entrusts us with his own Mother. In his last words before he expires, we hear the Lord say: “Behold your Mother” (John 19:27). Thus, at the very heart of the paschal mystery, the Blessed Virgin Mary is given to the nascent Church, represented by the beloved disciple. From that hour, Christian history becomes a reciprocal reception between the Mother of Jesus and the community of disciples: Mary welcoming the children of God, and the disciples welcoming Mary as their spiritual Mother.Mary on Holy Saturday: the silence of the tomb and the faith preserved in the interval between the cross and the ResurrectionLet us contemplate Mary in the sacred silence of Holy Saturday. After Jesus’ burial, while the apostles scatter and the disciples of Emmaus despair (cf. Lk 24:21), Mary is the one who keeps the flame of faith alive. Saint John Paul II teaches that Mary’s waiting for Christ on Holy Saturday constitutes one of the highest points of faith, for “in the darkness that envelops the universe, She fully surrenders to the God of life, recalling the words of the Son and awaiting the fulfillment of the promises.” Thus, when dawn breaks on Sunday, Mary’s heart is already prepared to receive the joyful news of the Resurrection.Although the Gospels do not explicitly relate a meeting between Jesus, the risen Lord, and His Mother, nothing prevents us from contemplating this mystery in the faith of the Church. “How could the Virgin, present in the first community of disciples, have been excluded from the number of those who encountered their risen Son?” asks Saint John Paul II. Indeed, it is legitimate to think that Mary was the first person to whom Jesus appeared after His resurrection, since she remained faithful at the Cross and preserved her faith intact in the trial. Her absence among the women who went to the tomb at dawn may be a sign that she had already met with Jesus. This ancient pious intuition has been shared by saints and theologians throughout the centuries.More importantly, Mary participated uniquely in every moment of the Paschal Mystery: she stood at the foot of the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25) and persevered in prayer in the Cenacle (cf. Acts 1:14). The Blessed Virgin Mary was probably the privileged witness to Christ’s Resurrection, thus completing her participation in all the essential moments of the Paschal Mystery. By welcoming the risen Lord, Mary becomes a sign and anticipation of humanity, which awaits the final resurrection. In her, we already see, in anticipation, the victory of life over death that God promises to all of us.
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