The Most Blessed Mother of God, first witness of the Resurrection, as described in the wise words (Os justi meditabitur sapientiam...) of a joyful Paschal Sermon by the saint of the day, Saint Vincent Ferrer:
[I]t is clear that [Our Lord] appeared to the Virgin Mother first, although the holy Evangelists are expressly silent about it.
Practically speaking, how it now happened could be as follows. The devout soul can piously contemplate, as God grants them to perceive the sweetness of this vision in their hearts.
The Virgin Mary was most certain that her Son would rise on the third day, as he had predicted, but perhaps she did not know the hour of his resurrection, because it is not written that Christ had revealed the hour of his resurrection, whether at prime or terce etc. So the Virgin Mary on this very night, which was so long for her, awaited the resurrection of her Son and she began to think at which hour he would rise, but she did not know. And knowing that among other prophets, David spoke most about the passion and resurrection of Christ, she set about by reading the Psalter, to discover if David had said anything about the hour, and she read the first psalm, the second, the third…and found nothing about the time.
Then reading Psalm lvi, 9 where it says and David speaks in the person of a father to son saying, "Arise, O my glory, arise psaltery and harp"; response of the son to the father: "I will arise at dawn." ... Imagine, when the virgin Mary knew the time of resurrection, how she arose from prayer, to see if it was dawn, and saw that it was not.
Again Mary returned to her reading to see if she could find another witness to the time of the resurrection, and in continuing her reading she came to Psalm cvii, 2-3 namely: “My heart is ready, O God." Where she found the same verse again: "Arise my glory," and again she looked out her window to see if it was dawn yet.
Then she wanted to see if any of the other prophets had said something of the hour of the resurrection and she found in Osee speaking in the person of the apostles: "He will revive us after two days: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. We shall know, and we shall follow on, that we may know the Lord. His going forth is prepared as the morning light," (Osee vi, 3). Note, "He will revive us," because the apostles were mortified because of unbelief.
Then Mary got up saying, it is enough for me to have three witnesses of the hour of the resurrection. And she prepared the room, and found a chair for her Son, saying "Here my son shall sit and here I will speak with him." And she looked out of the window, and she saw the dawn breaking, and she rejoiced saying, "Now my Son is rising." And on her knees she prayed, saying: "Rise up, Lord, to meet me, and behold: even you, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel," (Psalm lviii, 6).
And Christ immediately sent the messenger Gabriel to the Virgin, saying: "Just as you announced to my Mother the Incarnation, now announce to her my Resurrection." With unbridled great joy he came to the Virgin saying: [Regina Cæli...] "Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia. Because He whom you did merit to bear, Alleluia. Has risen as he said, Alleluia," as was revealed to Blessed Gregory, who added, "Pray for us to God, Alleluia.".
Immediately following that, her blessed Son came to her with all the Holy Patriarchs. ... Christ greeted his mother, saying: "Peace be with you." The Virgin fell to her knees and weeping abundantly for joy adored him kissing his hands and feet saying: "O blessed wounds, which have given me such pain on Good Friday!" Christ kissing his mother said: "My mother, rejoice, because from now on, you will have nothing but joy and celebration." Drying her tears, he sat down on the chair and they spoke with each other very sweetly. Oh, if only someone could have been present to this exchange! The Virgin said to her son, "Son, I am used to celebrating a feast on the Sabbath, signifying [God's] rest from the creation of the world, but from now on I celebrate a feast on the first day, in memory of your resurrection, and rest and glory." It pleased Christ.
Christ told his mother the things which he did in hell, how he had bound the devil, and he introduced her to the holy Patriarchs, whom he had delivered from there. They then showed their great reverence to the Virgin Mary. Imagine how Adam and Eve spoke to the Virgin Mary: "Blessed are you. our daughter and Lady, about whom the Lord said to the serpent devil, 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman,'" (Genesis iii, 15). Eve said, "I by sin closed the gates of paradise, but you by grace have opened them."
Also each of the prophets spoke to the Virgin Mary, "I have prophesied of you in this place saying...," and humbly saluting her they all together said to the Virgin Mary: "You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you are the honor of our people," (Judith xv, 10). Saluting them, the Virgin Mary said. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people: that you may declare his virtues, who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (I Peter ii,9).
[Translation: Fr Albert Judy, O.P. - adapted]
