In John 20:15, we find Mary of Magdala looking for Jesus to annoint his dead body. However, Jesus
surprises her with his living presence. "How could this be?" she thinks. I was at the foot of the cross when
Jesus died. Out of respect for his body, I came to annoint Him. Now He is standing before me and
questioning me why I am looking for Him among the dead. Is this some kind of an illusion I am having? Isn't
 it true that when someone dies, one remains dead?

What Jesus is asking of Mary is for her to change her way of thinking. He is in essence telling her that He is
God and with God, all things are possible. He is reminding her that she has to love in a new way. She is not to dwell on His destroyed body but to appreciate Him as alive, full of love, compassion and forgiveness.  As a
living God, she can turn to Him for help, whereas a dead God could do nothing. It takes a while for Mary to comprehend this but she does.

In discerning how we can best find Jesus, we have to learn to live by faith not by sight. If Jesus is alive among
us through the gift of His Holy Spirit, then we become taken up by His presence. He is reminding us that we are His own, that He loves us like no one else ever will and will never back down in loving us no matter what happens
to us. We are precious to Him. After all who would have the courage to suffer so willingly and die an excruciating death for us who are His little, created creatures.

Knowing Jesus gives us the excitement and energy to treat Him as our very best friend. Like Mary of Magdala
who was transformed by hearing the words of Jesus, so we too can be transformed by the words Jesus speaks to us in the scriptures, by appreciating His total gift of Himself in the Eucharist and through the inspiration we receive in prayer. How can we not be full of His joy and spread it around to everyone we meet.