Breathe Deeply

Image by Paul from Pixabay

Second Sunday Of Easter; John 20:19-31

“I will never believe it without putting my finger in the nail marks and my hand into the spear wound.”

When Mary Magdalene approached Jesus’ tomb on that Sunday morning, her walk was slow and measured. Her grief and sadness could be physically felt on her shoulders and it was an effort to pick up one foot and then the other. Following the path to the cave was difficult, not because it was still dark, but because the  tears in her eyes prevented her from seeing clearly. As she rounded the corner to come in front of the low hill that contained the cave, what little breath she had left was sucked out  of  her lungs. The stone had been moved.

This was simply not possible! First of all, it had taken four strong men to put the stone in place to begin with. Joseph of Arimathea had the track properly carved, such that the stone would be locked into place, once secured. It would have required four men, plus an oxen to move the stone up out of the lock. How could this be done, and who had done it? And when had they done it?

Mary came to the front of the tomb and saw that; indeed, it was empty. The body of Jesus was not there. She collapsed to the ground in overwhelming angst. It was hard enough to watch Jesus die on the cross in spite of all his teachings that it must be so. Yes, he had promised he would return, but it was all so confusing. What was she supposed to do? Who should she tell? How will she ever get up off the ground?

* * *

Over the course a lifetime, I have been conditioned to be joyous and happy on Easter morning. He is risen! He is alive! Rejoice! I want to cry out, “Mary! Look behind you! That’s not a gardener you silly girl!” But, I can say that because I know how the story ends. Mary Magdalene and the other disciples would not have had that insight. His death would have been devastating. And where is Jesus’ body?

I suspect that many people want to shake Thomas, too, when he says, “Yah, right. I don’t believe you.” But be honest: wouldn’t you say the same thing? I know I would. How would it be possible to grasp the truth of the resurrection when all I know was that my teacher and friend had been brutally murdered. I would not be able to understand that at all.

The Very Reverend Dr. Michael T. Sniffen serves as Dean of Long Island, leading both the Cathedral of the Incarnation and the Mercer School of Theology in Garden City, New York. He writes, “Easter does not begin with understanding. It begins with not understanding. Easter invites us to enter the mystery of the resurrection - to see what can only be seen with the eyes of faith, to know what can only be known through an encounter with hope. Easter invites us to stumble, bleary-eyed, toward the empty tomb and discover that even emptiness can be a place of holy encounter.”[1]

Even though we call him Doubting Thomas, I believe his title should be, “Honest Thomas.” Mary Magdalene did not jump for joy when she first saw the empty tomb. It takes time for the human mind to comprehend what Jesus did on Easter morning and continues to do throughout all of history. I have to remind myself of this from time to time and to be gentle with myself and with those around me. Regardless of how the Gospel tells the story, we all need time to process the deaths of our life before we can appreciate the resurrections of our life.

Mary Magdalene needed time to think, to react and to breathe.

Honest Thomas needed time to think, to react and to breathe.

Breathe deeply today. Christ is with us. He lives, and we live in His light. When you’re ready, rise and share the good news with others by sharing parts of your life story and how you can see how God was always there.

Every Day.

[1] Center for Spiritual Imagination, Where is Jesus?, A post by the Rev. Dr. Michael Sniffen, received April 6, 2026.

© 2026 by Timothy J. Doppel

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