Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

    When Mary Magdalene went into the tomb for the second time, she saw the same two angels that the three 

other holy women had seen. One of them spoke to her, and she left the tomb in search of Jesus. While 

wandering in the garden, Magdalene came upon Jesus, but at first she did not recognize Him. She mistook 

Him for the gardener. When Jesus spoke her name, she at once recognized Him and approached Him. Jesus 

spoke to her, and then disappeared. 

    Next Mary Magdalene ran to the tomb for the third time. Again she saw the two angels, and they spoke to 

her just as they had spoken to the three other holy women. She then left the garden to look for Mary Cleophas, 

Joanna, and Salome. As Magdalene was leaving the garden, John and Peter entered it.

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    John had outrun Peter and reached the tomb first. He looked into the tomb and saw the linen clothes which 

had once held the body of Jesus Christ. Peter now arrived at the tomb and entered first; John followed after 

him. John immediately believed in the Resurrection, as did Peter (Jn 20:4 8). Peter took the linen clothes 

which had covered the body of Jesus in the tomb, and they both returned to the city.

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    The guards who were at the tomb revived about this time. They went into the city to report the empty tomb 

to Pilate.

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    On her way back towards Jerusalem, Mary Magdalene met the three other holy women. She told them what 

she had seen and heard. Then she left them to go into the city. 

    The three women, Mary Cleophas, Joanna, and Salome, then went towards the garden. There they saw the 

risen Lord Jesus. He spoke to them and showed them His Sacred Wounds. Now the women went to the 

disciples to report all that they had seen and heard. Not until they had met Jesus did they find the courage to 

report these incredible events to the disciples. But the disciples did not believe them. And when Peter and John 

returned and also reported the Resurrection of the Lord to them, the disciples were dumbfounded.

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    Peter and John, after leaving the Cenaculum where the disciples were gathered, met the Apostles James and 

Thaddeus. They had seen the risen Lord Jesus a short time earlier. According to Blessed Anne Catherine, as 

Peter and John were walking, Peter also saw the risen Lord Jesus, but John perhaps did not see Jesus at that 

time. She does not clearly state whether Peter saw Jesus before or after James and Thaddeus saw Him.

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The Gospel of Matthew 

    Matthew's Gospel mentions only Mary Magdalene and  the other Mary  (Mt 28:1) as visiting the tomb on 

the morning of the Resurrection. The other Mary is Mary the mother of James and Joseph (Mt 27:56). 

Everything written in Sacred Scripture is entirely true and without error. However, not every detail is 

presented in every passage. Matthew does not mention the other women, but they were present, as evidenced 

in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. 

    After saying that the two Marys went to the tomb, Matthew tells us that an angel rolled back the stone (Mt 

28:1 4). Sacred Scripture does not say that the women saw the angel roll back the stone. And Blessed Anne 

Catherine's description tells us that they did not see this event. 

    Matthew tells us that the angel spoke to the women, then they ran with fear and joy to inform the disciples. 

But before they went to the disciples, they first met Jesus.  Then Jesus said to them, `Do not be afraid; go and 

tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.'   (Mt 28:10). Notice that Jesus tells them not to 

be afraid, immediately before telling them to go to the disciples. The women wanted to tell the disciples what 

they had seen, but they were hesitant out of fear. Meeting Jesus strengthened them for the task of going to 

inform the disciples. 

    Matthew's Gospel simplifies the events surrounding the angel speaking to the women. Blessed Anne 

Catherine describes an angel speaking first to three of the women, while Magdalene was on her way to inform 

Peter and John that the body of Jesus was missing. An angel later spoke to Mary Magdalene about the 

Resurrection, but not until she returned to the tomb after meeting Jesus. Matthew sums up in one description 

(of an angel speaking to the women), events which actually occurred in stages. 

    The fact that the angel spoke to Magdalene sometime after he had spoken to the other women can be 

inferred from what the other Gospels tell us. Mary Magdalene ran and told Peter and John that someone had 

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