The First One Ever

Linda Egan has written a beautiful hymn, "The First One Ever." The lyrics praise God and celebrate the role of women in the Bible. Stanza one recalls Mary's response to the annunciation of Gabriel, while the second stanza speaks to the faith of the Samaritan woman. But it is the third stanza that proclaims the Easter faith. It remembers the first to bear witness to the resurrection.

While the Synoptic Gospels tell of three women who come to the tomb, John's Gospel speaks only of Mary Magdalene. In the words of the hymn, "the first one ever, oh, ever to know" the joy of the Risen Lord.

My favorite chapel in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after Calvary and the Tomb is the Chapel of Mary. It stands near the Tomb and has a marvelous bronze molding of the first encounter between Mary Magdalene and Jesus following the resurrection. Standing here, the words repeat: "the first one ever, oh, ever to know."