"Touch Me Not!" an Easter Meditation

“But Mary was standing outside near the tomb, weeping.  Then, as she wept, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet.   They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’  ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she replied, ‘and I don know where they have put him.’  As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not realize that it was Jesus.   Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?  Who are you looking for?’  Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’  Jesus said, ‘Mary!’  She turned round then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master.   Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me because I have not yet ascended to the Father.   But go and find my brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father to my God and you God.’  So Mary of Madgala told the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’ and that he had said these things to her.”
                                                                                         John 20: 11-18

Have you ever had a loved one return from a long trip?   The first thing you want to do is run up to them and give them a big hug.   The longer they’ve been away, the more you want to hug ‘em.    It seems like you just can’t get enough of that person.   I know I’m like that.  By the same token, if you are the person who has been away then, you too, want to embrace your loved ones the minute you see them.  It’s like you need to physically reassure yourself that you’re actually home.

In the light of this it seems cold, and perhaps almost cruel, that Jesus spurned Mary’s affection after the Resurrection.  Why would he turn her away?  I’ve always felt sorry for Mary in this story.  Why would Jesus push her away at a time when most people would want…even need an embrace?  Mary must have been terribly hurt by His apparent rejection.   Still, why did Jesus do that?  This question has always puzzled me.  

We have to ask ourselves who did Mary actually “see” when she beheld Jesus after the Resurrection?   Did she “see” the risen Lord?   Did she “see” His resurrected body?    No, she didn’t.  The scriptures tell us that she didn’t recognize Jesus when she first saw Him.   In fact, she didn’t know who it was until He called her name.  It was at that point, that she finally “saw” Jesus.  

However, she saw the Jesus she used to know and that’s the Jesus she wanted to reach out to and touch.  That is the person she wanted to hold onto so tightly that she would never lose Him again.   Jesus pushed her away because He was no longer that person.  He had moved beyond His earthly existence into His existence as the risen Lord and He wanted Mary to “see” that.  He wanted her to “see” the person He had become and He wanted Mary to move beyond the person she had been before the crucifixion.  In short, He was inviting her to share in the Resurrection with Him, to become a new person in Him.  She would not have been able to do that if she had embraced Him as the earthly Jesus she once knew.

Yet, there is another person whose touch Jesus actually invited.  That person was Thomas.    So, why Thomas and not Mary?  Because, unlike Mary, Jesus knew that touch was the vehicle that would allow Thomas to behold Him in the glory of the Resurrection.  For Thomas, touch would be the very thing that would bring him directly into the Lord’s Resurrection and therefore into his own personal transformation.   Before he touched Jesus, Thomas, like all the other disciples, doubted the Resurrection. (see an earlier post about Thomas)After connecting with Jesus, Thomas became a new man…a giant in the faith.  After laying his hands into Jesus’ wounds, Thomas truly “saw” the risen Lord, he knew it was the risen Lord and he declared it by saying: “My Lord and my God!”   Thomas was the first person to behold Jesus as He truly is, he was the first person to proclaim Jesus’ divinity and because of this he was the first person to “touch” God. 

This Easter season, let us dare to answer the Lord’s invitation to walk into the Resurrection with Him and be made new.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha Rosary with Aqua Terra Jasper Unbreakable

The Ave beads in this rosary are 8mm Aqua Terra Jasper. The name means water and earth. Since St Kateri is the patron saint of the environment, I thought they were especially fitting for a rosary made in her honor. These beads are pale blue with pale tan swirls. Some of them have a beautiful reddish tinge to them. The Pater beads are a cluster of amber colored jasper and carnelian. All of the beads have a swirl of silver plated wire going up the side for extra detail. The crucifix and center are silver colored metal.  Please click here to learn more about this rosary and please visit my shop, HolyNameRosaries.com to see more of my unbreakable rosaries and chaplets.

Holy Family Rosary Bracelet with Amber Colored Jasper

The Ave beads in this chunky rosary bracelet are comprised of 10mm amber colored jasper. These translucent beads vary in color slightly and have a nice heavy feel to them. The Pater bead is a 6mm carnelian bead. The medal honoring the Holy Family, crucifix and toggle clasp are silver colored metal. Please click here to learn more about this bracelet and please visit my shop, HolyNameRosaries.com to see more of my rosary bracelets and unbreakable rosaries.

St Francis Rosary Bracelet in Red Jasper and Onyx

This rosary bracelet is comprised of 6mm red jasper Ave beads alternating with 3mm black onyx.  The Pater bead is 8mm black onyx.  The medal honoring St Francis and the wolf of Gubbio is silver colored metal as is the crucifix and toggle clasp.   Please click here to learn more about this bracelet and please visit my shop HolyNameRosaries.com to view more of my bracelets and unbreakable rosaries.

Rosary Bracelet with Turquoise Bohemian Glass

The Ave beads in this bracelet are 8mm by 6mm turquoise colored Bohemian Glass. They have a beautiful picasso finish which gives them the look of real turquoise. The Pater bead is an 8mm rose bead comprised of silver colored metal. The heart shaped Miraculous Medal and crucifix are silver colored metal as is the toggle clasp.  Please click here to learn more about this bracelet and please visit my shop, HolyNameRosaries.com to view more of my rosary bracelets and unbreakable rosaries.

Good Shepherd Rosary Bracelet with Hematite Beads

This rosary bracelet has a sort of a steampunk feel to it. The Ave beads are 10mm hematite which is a beautiful gunmetal color. The beads are lighter in person than they are in the photos. I tried hard to capture the color, but they came out darker in the photos. I apologize for my poor photographs. Accenting these beads are 3mm silver colored bead caps. Hematite is thought to have healing properties. It is a heavy stone which is generally cool to the touch. It also has slightly magnetic properties. The Pater bead is a 6mm hematite bead. The Good Shepherd charm, crucifix and toggle clasp are all silver colored metal. Please click here to learn more about this bracelet and please visit my shop HolyNameRosaries.com to view more bracelets and unbreakable rosaries.

Vintage Style Rosary Bracelet

This rosary bracelet has a vintage feel to it. The striking Ave beads are 10mm bohemian glass from Czechoslovakia. They have an antiqued bronze metal glaze on either end and have faceted turquoise colored glass showing thru in the middle. The Pater bead is a 6mm turquoise colored howlite beads. The crucifix and Miraculous Medal are both antiqued bronze as is the toggle clasp. Please click here to learn more about this bracelet and please visit HolyNameRosaries.com to view more of my rosary bracelets and unbreakable rosaries.

Habemus Papam!

We have a new Pope!   I never in my life would have dreamed that the cardinals would elect a new Pope so quickly.   I am so excited!

I was lucky enough to be home and to have the TV on when the news broke.  I was able to watch the crowds and participate in the suspense (which was killing me at the time) before the new Pope was announced.

Briefly, our new Pope is the first Jesuit to be elected Pope, he is the first Pope to take the name Francis and is the first Pope from Argentina and probably the first Pope from South America.  Hopefully, he will be able to bring many new "firsts" to our Church.  I was very impressed with his humility and demeanor and his request for prayers.   I have a good feeling about the cardinals choice for the new Bishop of Rome.

Please take a minute to make a comment on your thoughts about our new Papa

Rosary Bracelet with Bohemian Glass and Bronze

The Ave beads in this rosary bracelet are gorgeous Czech picasso beads. These outstanding window beads are 12mm by 10mm by 6mm. They are flat on the front and the back and the sides of them are faceted to add sparkle. They show all the colors of a beautiful sunset. The Pater bead is a handmade bronze Bali bead. The Miraculous Medal, crucifix and toggle clasp are antiqued brass. Please click here to learn more about this bracelet and please visit HolyNameRosaries.com to view my unbreakable rosaries and chaplets.

Vintage Style Rosary Bracelet

This vintage style rosary bracelet features 8mm by 10mm Czech picasso beads. These amazing dark beads have such a sense of mystery. At first glance, they appear to be black yet deep cranberry colored glass shows thru the faceted center of the bead. Accenting these beads is a 13mm handmade bronze Bali bead. The crucifix and Miraculous Medal are both antiqued bronze as is the toggle clasp. This bracelet would make a wonderful gift. It would also be great to keep for yourself. :)  Please click here to learn more about this bracelet and please visit my shop HolyNameRosaries.com to see more of my rosary bracelets and unbreakable rosaries. 

The Forest, The Trees...and well...Everything!

For quite some time now, I’ve felt strongly drawn to prayer.   I don’t know if I would go so far as to say it is a calling from God or just something I feel a need to do.   However, the more I pursue it, the more strongly I feel compelled to pray.

In my own obsessively perfectionistic way I have been very anxious to make sure I do it “right”.  I’ve tried many different forms of prayer.  I’ve read many books on prayer and studied what the saints have written about prayer. Valiantly, I have left no stone unturned.  My pursuit of prayer has even led me to consider seeking the silence and solitude of the eremitical life.   Yep…that’s right…I’m actually thinking about becoming a hermit.  In truth, some of my friends might say that I’m already a hermit…a hermit crab, that is.

During all this studying and looking and trying, a little thought began to insinuate itself into my mind.   “Follow your own path”, it whispered.   It took awhile, but after that thought finally hammered its way thru my thick skull, it took even more time for me to think that it might actually be alright for me to follow my own path.   After all, isn’t it better (which for me is a synonym for safer) to follow the wisdom of those who have gone before?  Who am I to think that my way could be as good as the way of the great heroes of our faith?  It took awhile for all of this to become fully realized, but when it did, it really hit me. 

Suddenly, I felt as though I had been walking in a forest full of beautiful trees, each one different from the other.   As I walked along, I would come upon a tree that I thought was wonderful and I would do everything in my power to learn all there was to know about that particular tree.  No sooner had I done this than I became aware of another tree and the whole process would begin again.   While each of the trees had something of value to offer, no one tree was the right tree for me.   As I continued my walk in the woods, I came to a large clearing. 

As I looked around, I became aware…not of the trees and not of the forest…but of the ground that all of the trees were growing out of.   I saw that the ground that gives life to the oak tree is the same ground that nurtures the willow.   The soil that gives birth to the pine tree does the same for maple.   It didn’t matter how different the trees in the forest were from each other, they all sprang from the same ground and because of this, they all led to the same place.  They all lead to God!

While I contemplated this image, I realized the ground symbolized the life giving love of God.  It is a love so vibrant that it can’t help but give birth to the many different forms of prayer and ways to follow God which were symbolized by the trees.  I understood that the experiences of those who have gone before us are valuable tools to help us learn. However, if we stay connected to the Lord, then we will be able to find our own way in Him.   As long as we stay grounded in Him, if I may be allowed a double entendre, then we will discover the path He has planned for each of us.  It is a path perfectly formed in love by Him who is perfect love.  Who knows?   I may even grow my own little tree! 

Mother of Sorrows Hematite Rosary

The Ave beads in this handsome rosary are 8mm hematite beads. They are complimented very nicely by the 12mm dark pink and black porcelain Pater beads. All of the beads are accented by 3mm silver colored bead caps. The Mother of Sorrows center is made of lead free pewter and the crucifix is silver colored metal. Because hematite is heavier than most stones, this substantial rosary has a nice heavy weight. Also, the hematite is cool and pleasing to the touch. Real hematite is slightly magnetic and these beads have a light attraction to a magnet. This rosary would make a wonderful gift...it would also be great to keep for yourself. Please click here to learn more about this rosary and please visit my shop, HolyNameRosaries.com to view more of my unbreakable rosaries and chaplets