My dad always told me when I was growing up, “If you just show up and pay attention, you’ll be way ahead of your peers in life.” Some time ago I was reading John’s account of the resurrection and was deeply struck by the fact that Mary Magdalene was the first person to encounter the risen Christ.  Isn’t it odd?  She was a woman, one who had been afflicted and tormented by demons, and though she was certainly a follower of Christ, she was not numbered among the Twelve. It is particularly striking when one...