First witnesses to the resurrection

Why women? Why were women the first witnesses to the empty tomb? Why were women the first to receive the news that Jesus has risen?
Why women? Why was Mary Magdalene the first to talk to the Risen Christ?

Women have been much maligned in history as the "cause of the fall", of men, of families, of governments, of civilizations, even of the entire human race.
Today is a special day for us women. We are vindicated.
But this post is not about women's vindication.
This post is about recovering a very special gift that we, women, have, which we often take for granted. And of course, it is not a gift that is reserved to women alone, though we have a special openness to it.
And what is that? We are not afraid to look at pain, at suffering, at death in the face, and to feel its intensity to our very bones. Because of this, we are more attentive to the signs of life and of hope, no matter how faint or small they may be.
Easter is the feast of new life. It is not a life that comes from zero; nay, it is "life that has overcome death".
Easter is a promise, a sign, and a certainty, that "if we die with Christ, we shall also rise with him". If we go deep into the mystery of brokenness, suffering, and death, then we will be ready to rise again when we hear Jesus' voice calling us by name as He did more than two thousand years ago, "Mary".