DID RESURRECTED JESUS CHRIST APPEAR TO HIS MOTHER?

Abstract

The article offers a reflection on why in the writings of the New Testament there is no mention of an apparition of the Risen Lord to his Mother. In seeking the answers through testimonies from both the Western and Eastern traditions, there come often some themes that are always current and interesting for theological reflection, such as the relationship between Revelation and Tradition; between transmission and acceptance of Scripture – above all, canonical and non-canonical Scriptures; between Christology and Mariology: the place of Mary in the mission of the Son, both in the moment of the incarnation and in the fulfillment of the paschal mystery, thus more easily seeing the incarnation in the light of the resurrection. What and how much there is in common between the Eastern and Western traditions; relationship between the theology of the Incarnation – that of the first councils of the undivided Church – and the theology of the paschal mystery: the one who died and rose is the same Word of God who became incarnate in Mary's womb; Mary, who not only welcomes the announcement of the Incarnation but who also welcomes the announcement of the Resurrection of her Son. It is precisely the reflections matured on the role of Mary in the history of Salvation that give substance to the statement that the Lord appeared to his Mother, both in the East and in the West, though in the West in a more restrained way.