Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women - The second Sunday after Pascha, the Orthodox Church commemorates a number of people connected with the final events of Jesus’s life who were important witnesses to His death and resurrection. These are the myrrh-bearing women who came to anoint the body of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea who buried Jesus, and Nicodemus who helped him. We gratefully remember them for their faith, courage, and devotion to the Lord.

On this day we remember the women who went to Jesus’ tomb to anoint His body, only to discover it empty. The Myrrhbearing Women did not mysteriously disappear following the Resurrection of Christ. There were many of them, and we have the names: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Joseph the Little and Jose, Salome, Mary of Clopas, Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, Susanna, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Our Holy Fathers also include Mary the “mother of Jesus,” as she is referred to in John 19:25, who we see and know was at the foot of the Cross.

They ministered unto Him with their own possessions, even during His crucifixion and entombment; and afterwards, neither losing faith in Him after His death, nor fearing the wrath of the Jewish rulers, they came to the tomb, bearing the myrrh-oils they had prepared to annoint His body. It is because of the myrrh-oils, that these God-loving women brought to the tomb of Jesus that they are called the Myrrh-bearers. We know the names of only seven of these women: Mary Magdalene; Mary the Mother of James and Joses; Joanna the wife of Chuza; Salome the mother of the sons of Zebedee; Susanna; and Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus.

Together with them we celebrate also the secret disciples of Jesus, Joseph and Nicodemus. Joseph of Arimathea was a rich and noble man, and a member of the Privy Council of Jerusalem. He dared to ask Pilate for the undefiled body of our Savior, which he took and buried in his own tomb. Accompanying Joseph to the sepulcher was Nicodemus, who was one of the leaders of the Pharisees. He had believed in Christ when, at the beginning of His preaching of salvation, he came to Him by night. Nicodemus brought 100 pounds of myrrh and aloes to scent and embalm the body of Christ out of reverence and love (John 19:39)

Jesus turned things upside down by proclaiming joy to the world through the Cross. He raised to great prominence these humble women who would otherwise be unknown to the world. He gave them an integral role in proclaiming the Good News to the world (Mark 16:1-10), through they witness, that the sting of death has been overcome through Jesus’ rising from the dead. Life reigns! As long as the Gospel is proclaimed, we will celebrate the memory of the Myrrhbearing Women and rejoice with them.

Scriptures : Matthew 27:55–61, Matthew 28:1–10, Mark 15:40–16:11, Luke 23:50–24:10, John 19:38–20:18).

Activities

• Learning About the Resurrection and Fabric Learning Set by Orthodox Pebbles - this is a great resource to “act” out the story with paper puppets. Simply cut out the scenes of the crucifixion and resurrection and arrange them in order (pages 9–10). Then, cut out the paper puppet characters of Mary Magdalene, the angel, and the tomb, and use them to reenact the scene from today’s Gospel (Mark 15:43–47; 16:1–8).

• Sing or Listen to the Paschal Hymn “Let God Arise” Together: (Watch on Youtube HERE) In this hymn two of the stanzas are dedicated to the Myrrhbearers and their witness.  These hymns build upon the scriptural accounts of their visit to and discovery of the empty tomb:

The Myrrhbearing Women, at the break of dawn,
Drew near to the tomb of the Life-giver.
There they found an angel sitting upon the stone.
He greeted them with these words:
“Why do you seek the living among the dead?
Why do you mourn the incorrupt amid corruption?
Go, proclaim the glad tidings to His disciples.”

• Watch this 7 minute video on YouTube about The Myrrh Bearing Women (great for kids too):

• Sensory Activities: Since Myrrh is a fragrant spice, why not make it a sensory experience and create your own myrrh infused experience as a beautiful way to connect with the story of the myrrh bearers! Suggestions include:

  • Light some Myrrh Incense in your censor, sold HERE

  • Make your own Myrrh infused bath salts using Myrrh Essential Oil Recipe HERE

  • Myrrh Playdough using Myrrh Essential Oils Recipe HERE

Book Recommendations:

• The Holy Myrrhbearing Women by Potamitis Publishing

• Read the story in the Scriptures of the myrrh-bearing women in the Children’s Bible Reader (p. 257) and discuss: Why were the women going to the tomb? Why on Sunday? What is myrrh? What did they find? What did they do?