Mary Magdalene, called “the apostle to the apostles,” testifies, “I have seen the Lord.” Scripture, however, says she didn’t recognize the Risen Christ at first, but only when he called her by name, when the voice of the Beloved touched her heart. The couple on the way to Emmaus had a similar experience. It wasn’t the voice of Christ Jesus that opened their eyes; rather it was in the familiar action of his blessing and breaking the bread that they realized they had experienced the Risen Christ. Peter says those who see the Risen Christ are “chosen by God as witnesses” to proclaim the good news of God’s love to the world. Christ Jesus continues to come to us today in whatever way it takes to open our eyes, our hearts to the love of God manifest in the world so that we can join that long line of witnesses through the ages testifying, “I have seen the Lord.” A friend in Virginia once glanced out her front door and saw Jesus standing on her front walk. Few of us have that kind of experience, but we can and do recognize the presence of Christ Jesus in the world about us. Think about how you know you’re witnessing the Risen Christ in the here and now. For me, it is most often some act of generous, compassionate self-giving love that opens my eyes to recognize the presence of the Risen Christ. A mother who stops whatever she’s doing, no matter how important, to comfort her crying child, for example, or an aging daughter putting her personal life on hold to care for an elderly mother at the end of life. Recently, I heard the story of a busy woman who, after working all day, went to a dying friend’s house at the end of the day to visit and get her ready for bed—every night until she died—now that’s self-giving love. The doctors and nurses who put themselves in harm’s way to help others throughout the world are another example. Whenever I witness folks giving of themselves without counting the cost, I know “I have seen the Lord.” Alleuia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! -