Whether you stayed up late for the Easter Vigil or braved Mass on Easter morning, the Gospel reading you heard last weekend mentioned Mary Magdalene's visit to Christ's empty tomb.
And while our attention is mostly focused on Christ's resurrection, his somewhat mysterious interplay with Mary Magdalene always raises a couple of interesting questions:
Why doesn't Mary recognize Jesus?
As well as:
Why does Jesus insist that she let go of him?
And the answers to these questions actually tell us some very important things about our own spiritual lives.
You see, having just witnessed the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene was going through what's known as the Dark Night of the Soul.
It's a time of deep spiritual difficulty - a feeling of abandonment and spiritual darkness - that precedes a time of even greater spiritual growth.
But when Christ lifted the shadows of Mary's Dark Night, she was able to recognize him for who he truly was.
And here's the thing.
This same lifting of the shadows eventually happens to us too, the deeper we progress in the spiritual life.
And in today's Sainthood Snippet, I'll explain it - including the reason why Christ insisted that Mary Magdalene let go.
Yes, today's Sainthood Snippet is perhaps a bit meatier than usual.
That's because it's a clip taken from one of the more advanced lessons in my comprehensive spiritual formation program, The Science of Sainthood.
Members who have worked their way through the beginning courses of the Science of Sainthood have a solid foundation in place to begin learning about the higher echelons of the spiritual life - and how to get there.
This is stuff you've most likely never heard before - but it's all based 100% on the writings and teachings of some of the greatest saints of the Church.
And it's explained in a way that makes it easy to understand and put into action.
Happy Easter!
God bless,
Matthew
