FEast: Second Sunday after Easter
Patrons of:
mourning, hope, burial, loyalty
The MyrrhBearers
Bio
"The Myrrhbearers" is a name given to the women who came to Jesus' tomb to administer to his body (with myrrh and other spices) for three days after his burial in accordance with Jewish tradition. Because of this, when they arrived early on the third day, they were the first to discover Jesus' Resurrection. The accounts in the Gospels differ on which women were present and when, suggesting that they may not all have been there at the same time, or that the roles the women played in Jesus' burial differed but were equally important. Regardless, historians agree that the mentioning of the women as the first to know of the Resurrection is proof itself that this was the case, since women could not testify in court and men of the time would not have chosen to record that unknown women held such an important role if it weren't true. Some accounts describe Peter and John running to the tomb, but the women are still described as the first to know.
The women present were all important figures throughout Jesus' life that traveled with the Apostles and provided for all of them throughout Jesus' ministry. The women listed in the different accounts are Mary Magdalene, Jesus' Mother Mary, Mary the wife of Cleopas, Martha and Mary of Bethany, Joanna, Susanna, and Salome the mother of the Apostles James and John.
wHAT wOULD they CARE ABOUT TODAY?
Different Cultures of Grief
Prayer
Jesus chose his Resurrection to first be announced to women for a reason. Overlooked by society still to this day, his message always was meant for the ones who our world forgets. As mothers and sisters and friends, He wanted you to know how special and loved you are, even if you were never told that by anyone else. Keep up your beautiful work.
Amen.
Art Reflection
I hoped to capture as many ideas about the myrrhbearers as I could in one image with only three women pictured. I tried to give them differing ages, expressions, and immediate reactions in their first moment realizing what had happened to Jesus. It was an enormous moment for them and extremely difficult to comprehend, but, as theologians have pointed out throughout the Gospels, the unknown women were often the only ones to understand Jesus.
