From the Gospel according to John 20:11-18

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.And as she wept, she bent over into the tomband saw two angels in white sitting there,one at the head and one at the feetwhere the Body of Jesus had been.And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,and I don’t know where they laid him.”When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,but did not know it was Jesus.Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?Whom are you looking for?”She thought it was the gardener and said to him,“Sir, if you carried him away,tell me where you laid him,and I will take him.”Jesus said to her, “Mary!”She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”which means Teacher.Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,for I have not yet ascended to the Father.But go to my brothers and tell them,‘I am going to my Father and your Father,to my God and your God.’”Mary went and announced to the disciples,“I have seen the Lord,”and then reported what he had told her.

The Gospel of the Lord

The Greatest Joy

I can only imagine the joy Jesus must have felt when He told Mary Magdalene that His Father had now become our Father too. Has there ever been a greater joy in all of human history? His joy was so overwhelming, He didn’t even wait to return to the Father before sharing it with us.
This was Christ’s ultimate victory—His glory: that we became children of God. What an incredible accomplishment! What a triumphant entrance He must have made into heaven! The Blessed Virgin surely looked upon Him with immense pride.

Applied to married life:

James: This Holy Week helped me understand how someone can go from deep sorrow to overwhelming joy in just one day.
Teresa: I’m guessing you mean the shift from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday?
James: Exactly. It’s like watching our marriage move from a place where we didn’t see God as our Father to one where we do. Without Him, it felt impossible—like we were stuck, unable to grow, making an effort that led nowhere… But with God as our Father, everything changed: we have hope, we have joy, and we can actually see grace working in us.
Teresa: It’s a total transformation. Knowing that God is truly our Father means He cares for us and is always there to help. That’s so different from just being His creatures.

Mother,

Christ’s generosity is astonishing—He came into the world and endured humiliation just to make us His brothers and sisters. Amazing. Who is like God? Praise be to Him.