First Witnesses of the Resurrection

When all seemed lost…

The crucifixion had just taken place. The Sabbath had fallen silent. The soldiers closed the tomb with a heavy stone. Everything seemed over. And yet…
At dawn on the third day, it is neither the apostles nor the religious leaders, but women who approach the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and the myrrh-bearing women , bearers of myrrh, come to perform a final gesture of love.
They carry their tears, their silent faith, and an intact hope.

Mary Magdalene: Apostle to the Apostles

Among them, one figure stands out: Mary Magdalene .
She is the first to see the risen Christ. She recognizes him the moment he calls her by name: “Mary!”
And it is she who becomes the first messenger of the Resurrection , the one who will say to the disciples:
“I have seen the Lord!”
The Orthodox Church honored her as Equal to the Apostles . In the Western Catholic tradition, her role was long minimized. But today, many voices are rising to rehabilitate her spiritual greatness .

The Myrrh-Bearing Women: Forgotten and Sacred Messengers

Alongside Mary Magdalene, other faithful women:
Mary, mother of James , Salome , Joanna , Mary of Cleopas , Martha of Bethany .
They followed Jesus, served his work, wept at the foot of the cross, prepared his burial with gentleness. They were the first to see that the stone rolled away and the empty the tomb .

Mary Magdalene and the Myrrh-Bearing Women : A memory to awaken

These women embody a profound spirituality: that of inhabited silence, of invisible fidelity, of courage of the heart.
At a time when our world is searching for meaning, they are a luminous model of incarnate faith , active tenderness and transmitted mystery.
They are the guardians of the threshold , the apostles of the invisible , the first sentinels of the Light .
These women embody a profound spirituality: that of indwelling silence, invisible fidelity, and courage of heart.
They were the first to proclaim the Resurrection—and yet the Roman Catholic Church never celebrated them.
In the Orthodox Church, on the contrary, an entire Sunday—the second after Easter—is dedicated to them: the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.
The Orthodox honored Mary Magdalene as a saint, equal to the apostles. She shines with a full light, not reduced to her past, but recognized for her fundamental role in transmitting the Paschal mystery.

Why has this spiritual recognition been erased or minimized in the West?
What place do we still give to women today in proclamation, in service, in speech, in light?

Mary Magdalene and the Myrrh-Bearing Women : In their memory, for today…

These ancient stories don’t just speak of the past. They illuminate the present.
They carry within them the memory of these first believers and extend their courage into the contemporary world.
Even today, many women stand at the threshold of the tomb. They carry within them the memory of these first believers and extend their courage into the contemporary world.
May their example inspire our steps, sustain all those who seek, who hope, who keep faith in the darkness.
And may it remind the Church that resurrection often begins with a woman’s voice.