Acts 2:36-41 / John 20:11-18
Our names have a purpose and a personal significance.
We are addressed and identified by our names.
Those who call us by our name have different levels of relationships with us.
How we respond to an acquaintance who calls us by name is different from how a loved one calls us by name.
When a loved one calls us by name, the voice is heard by our hearts and we respond with love.
In the gospel, when the Risen Lord spoke to Mary, she thought that He was the gardener.
But when He called her by name, she immediately knew it was Jesus, and she responded to Him in Hebrew, which is the intimate language of her heart.
In the 1st reading, when Peter spoke to the people, they were cut to the heart.
They heard the words of Peter, and they also heard the voice of the Lord Jesus.
Every day we hear the voices of many people and we hear our names being called.
May we hear the voice of the Risen Lord who calls us by name.
And may we respond with love to whatever He is asking of us.