“Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away…”

So begins the Gospel of St. John’s account of the Resurrection. Lately I have been studying this Gospel with the help of a book by my friend Jean Vanier, entitled “Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus through the Gospel of John.” He meditates on the significance of what happened to Mary Magdalene after she “came to the tomb” on Easter morning.

Jean wrote, “There is something so humble in the story of the resurrection. The risen Jesus does not appear triumphant over the Temple to signify to everyone his victory and to humiliate those who humiliated him. He appears to Mary of Magdala, the loved one, the forgiven one, alone in a Garden. Jesus shares a simple, heart-to-heart relationship with her, a gentle moment of eternity.”

I hope this Easter season provides you that same opportunity for a personal encounter with Jesus – some heart-to-heart time. As with Mary Magdalene, the risen Jesus seeks you out and calls you by name. He brings you His peace. I hope that you have an opportunity as winter gives way to spring and the flowers begin to color our campus, to contemplate the Easter mystery of life conquering apparent death and Jesus coming and calling us to a deeper relationship.

For Catholic students, I can think of no better way to celebrate the Easter season than through a renewed relationship with the Eucharist and Mary, the Mother of the Eucharist. Mary is the refuge of Mary of Magdala and the mother given to us by Jesus when from His throne on the Cross He said to St. John and to each of us: “Behold your mother.” These relationships can nurture your faith and strengthen you as you mature into full adulthood. And they can lead you to new encounters with the poor (please take advantage of the service learning opportunities that Saint Vincent offers – contact Mrs. Kelly King or Mr. Jarod Trunzo).

Jesus found the disciples hiding behind locked doors – in effect, these frightened men were living in a tomb of their own making. We all can be tempted to do the same thing – to live in fear, to hide from Jesus and from each other. The great thing about attending a small college like Saint Vincent is the opportunity to build friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime. Just as the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus after He rose, we, too, can fail to recognize Jesus as He walks among us on this campus. I hope this Easter season finds you unlocking doors and letting Christ enter into the areas of your life where you are most vulnerable and most afraid and most in need of healing. Find some time to pray and think and meditate and contemplate. At Mass this morning the responsorial psalm neatly describes Easter Monday and springtime beauty: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord!

Finally, I invite you to the second annual spring town hall meeting that Student Government Executive Board President Dan Brett will be hosting on April 2nd at 9:30 pm in the Carey Center.

Those who attend will be eligible to enter a drawing to reserve  the best residence hall rooms for fall ’08 – the top pick for each class will be drawn. You can put your name in that hat or you can put your name with our commuter students who will be drawing for 2 free tickets to the Cotillion.

And if you don’t win one of those room selections, you’ll still get a free banana split when we’re finished.

The purpose of the gathering is for me to answer any questions, hear your concerns, and field any complaints you have. I’ll also do some “rumor control.”

As president of Saint Vincent, I have begun a collection of rumors that students have shared with me. Here are some of my favorite ones to date (all of which are untrue):

Saint Vincent is going to require students to wear uniforms

Saint Vincent is going to be a dry campus

Saint Vincent is getting rid of the green and gold sports team colors

Saint Vincent is going to require prefects to attend Sunday Mass

President Towey is going to get a hair weave (Ok, I made that one up)

But my point is this: if you have any questions or concerns, come out to the Carey Center on April 2nd and ask me. Vice-President for Student Affairs Mary Collins and some of her staff will be in attendance to answer any of the questions that stump me.

I hope to see you there. And I hope to see you on a far away hillside staring at the first blooms of spring and marveling at spring’s triumph over winter. There may be no better way of describing how the Cross of Christ did not end in death but in new life and flowering relationships “in a gentle moment of eternity.”

Welcome back from Easter break!