The Stawell Gift is Australia’s oldest and most prestigious footrace. The event is held at Central Park in Stawell, Victoria, over the Easter weekend and features runners in a 120-metre race with the finals held on Easter Monday.

It is not Stawell, but in the gospel, Simon Peter, and the Beloved Disciple sprint to the tomb. They are in a hurry to verify the news of Mary of Magdala who went to the tomb early in the morning to discover the stone had been removed. The younger disciple arrives first but waits for Peter’s arrival before entering the tomb.

We are told that Peter saw the burial cloths, and the cloth that covered the head of Jesus rolled up in a separate place. Peter observes the body is gone. The Beloved Disciple then enters the tomb, and we hear that he ‘saw and believed’. Peter observed the facts of the empty tomb, but the Beloved Disciple knew that Jesus had risen as he had promised.

The disciples will spread the good news, but it is Mary of Magdala who is the first evangelist of the Resurrection. It is therefore fitting that she is called the Apostle of the Apostles. This is the title accorded her by St Thomas Aquinas that was officially recognised by the Church in 2016. Hers is a unique role in that she was at the crucifixion and the first witness of the resurrection.

Mary lingers at the tomb after the disciples departed. She questions the angels about his disappearance, turns around and encounters Jesus whom she presumes is a gardener. Jesus reveals himself when he calls Mary by name and he commissions her to bring a further message to the disciples to let them know that he is ascending to the Father.

The experience of the empty tomb and the different appearances of Jesus to his disciples help them to accept that he is truly risen. They are frightened, but the gift of the Holy Spirit empowers them, and in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we hear Peter is called to the house of the Roman centurion, Cornelius, where he proclaims the story of Jesus to this gentile believer and his companions. The Jews are amazed, and the Holy Spirit descends on Cornelius, and his household are all baptised.

The resurrection experience has immediate effect on an ever-growing circle of people as the apostles led by Peter, Paul, and their companions spread the good news.

In in 2016, Pope Francis elevated the liturgical celebration of Mary of Magdala to a feast day formally recognising her as the first witness to the resurrection who announced the good news to the other apostles.

The Stawell Gift offers prize money to the winner, but the Easter sprint brings surprising news. A traditional Easter greeting is “He is Risen” to which the response is “He is Risen indeed!”

Michael A Kelly CSsR

© Majellan Media 2026

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