Mary Magdalene in the Garden: An Easter Meditation

Breaking Bread, our semi-annual dinner and evening of spiritual discussion for Notre Dame students and faculty, began only four years ago, but it has already secured a place in the hearts of undergraduates and professors alike. Students often share with us that it is rare to find a warm environment that fosters profound theological discussion with their professors. Especially in an age when many feel like the distance between the two groups is continually widening, Breaking Bread gives students the rare chance of talking with professors outside the classroom.

On March 25, 2008, laughter and a lively exchange of opinions followed the spring semester’s thought-provoking reflection on “Mary Magdalene in the Garden: An Easter Meditation,” given by Father Michael Sherwin, OP, a professor of fundamental moral theology at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland and the 2007-2008 Myser Fellow of the Center for Ethics and Culture. In John’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene fails at first to recognize the resurrected Christ in the garden, yet discovers that the “garden-dweller” is in fact Jesus—the bridegroom of Israel. Fr. Sherwin used this biblical analogy to encourage discussion of what Christ means to each of us and how He presents Himself in our lives.

Each participant was given a copy of Morality: The Catholic View by Servais Pinckaers, OP, translated by Fr. Sherwin and with an introduction by Alasdair MacIntyre. The book was published by St. Augustine Press under the auspices of the Center.