The Gospel accounts of the Resurrection and the following 40 days can be difficult to sort out. While they all agree that Our Lord revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene and the eleven Apostles, they vary as to who else saw Him and when the revelations occurred.
It gets confusing quickly, so let’s look at each account:
Matthew lists the holy women—Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome—and the eleven Apostles.
Mark records that Mary Magdalene, the two disciples at Emmaus, and the Eleven saw Him.
Luke lists the holy women—Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, and others with them—the disciples at Emmaus, and the Eleven.
John writes about Mary Magdalene and the Eleven seeing Him.
In addition to the Gospels, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians that “more than 500 brethren at once” saw the Resurrected Christ.
The Church has always piously believed that the Blessed Mother was the first to see her Son. She did not accompany the holy women to the tomb on Easter morning because she knew the tomb was empty. The Gospels are silent on this point because Our Lord’s visit to His beloved Mother was private and for her alone.
So, before the Ascension, the Resurrected Christ revealed Himself to the Blessed Mother, Mary Magdalene and the holy women, the Apostles, and over 500 disciples.
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