Mary, the Virgin, at the Resurrection of the Lord: a dogmatic-liturgical analysis

No one of the four Evangelists mentions Mary among the witnesses of the pascal morning, an absence that contrasts with her explicit presence at the foot of the cross (Jn 19, 25-27) and constitutes one of the central problems of pascal mariology.The liturgical celebration of the Eucharist proclaims the resurrection of the Lord and the joy it spreads, irradiating throughout the world, in the nascent Church, in Mary. The Pascal Virgin is an example of faith for the disciples who confess the risen Christ.

The Pauline Argument of 1Cor 15 and the Dogmatic Centrality of the Resurrection

“If Christ has not been raised from the dead, our faith is futile and we are still in our sins” (1Cor 15, 13.17). The cry of the Apostle Paul challenges the believer, revealing to him the abyss of despair into which he would fall if the event of the resurrection had not taken place: the futility of faith would be a harmless act. On the contrary, the poisoning of sin would be dramatic, incurable during the course of human existence on earth, and without hope in the dimension of incorruptibility that no one would attain, since there would be no rest.The dramatic argument of Paul resonates as a warning to our cultures confined to a horizontal dimension. It offers a perspective of liberation from our depressed, pessimistic, defeatist mentalities, hostile to the living man and the future. The victory over all this, and much more, becomes certain for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.The Lord has truly risen! Unlike before his death, when multitudes saw and heard Jesus, in his new resurrected identity only the disciples see and hear him during the ‘Paschal Quarantime’ or in the forty days they share with him in meal and companionship, or they return to the site of their earliest encounters by the lake. It is not enough to hear and admire Master Jesus: for each of us it is essential to experience the risen Jesus, accumulating within us seeds of resurrection.The Silence of the Gospels: Mary, the Empty Tomb, and the Silent Presence on the Paschal MorningNone of the four evangelists mention Mary, mother of Jesus, who went to her son’s tomb at dawn on the day of his resurrection. The indelible memory of Easter fixed the memory of Mary of Magdala and another Mary (who is certainly not the mother) running to that tomb, which, along with her mother, bore witness to the crucifixion and burial of the Lord. Among the reasons for the omission, one can presume veracity: “The mother remained that morning in the house where the apostle whom Jesus loved had taken her in.” Even among those who encounter the Risen One, Mary is not listed by any canonical source. “However, Mary was a certain presence at the resurrection of Jesus.” It is not few the events of history and faith that are true, even if they do not appear in the chronicles.The placement of the Matthew passage in the form “Saint Mary at the resurrection of the Lord” recalls the Lucan narrative of the angelic announcement and the encounter with Elizabeth. Mary in Nazareth welcomes with joy the announcement that the fullness of time has come, when God sends his own Son, born of a woman. Mary is exhorted to take the message to Zechariah’s house. By the tomb of Jesus, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary receive the angelic announcement that the fullness of time has been fulfilled, because the humanity of Jesus, Lord and Messiah, rises to new life in the resurrection, and in this event they announce to the apostles. These announcements are so surprising that they leave no one indifferent, and in fact, they frighten. But comes the sweet certainty: “Do not be afraid.”

The Pascal Typology: From “Do not fear, Mary” at the Annunciation to the Dawn of Resurrection

In Nazareth, Mary emerges from fear because she has found grace with God. At the tomb, the women cease to fear as the familiar and comforting words of Jesus burst forth in great joy.Thus, the two births of Christ are united: Mary’s and the tomb’s, both announced by an angel, both bearing fundamental truths: life proceeds from God and returns to Him. There stood Mary, the holy city, the new Jerusalem.To delve deeper into Mary’s role in the Lord’s Resurrection, consult Pope John Paul II’s encyclical *Redemptoris Mater*, which reflects on the maternal presence of Mary in the pascal mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.Further Study: Explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and a Postgraduate Program in Mariology.