Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (Jn 20:1-17 ESV). While there is much to wonder about in this passage, Mary's response is not one of them, which is precisely what I love about John's account. Once Mary realized who Jesu

August is slowly limping along, isn’t it? And the week ahead is crammed full of troubles of its own. Corona is not going away. Fires rage in California. Two storms are on a collision course with Louisiana. And education systems everywhere are riddled with virtual snafus. We are certainly being assaulted by worldly woes. There’s no running away (try as we might). There’s no pretending it away . . . denying it away . . . or wishing it away. The present is indeed present. There