Blessed Eastertide!

(Here you can see the reliquary containing the skull of St. Mary Magdalene, being carried up from the crypt where it is normally kept. Cathedral of St. Maximin-la-Sainte-Beaume, southern France)

Father Pichon, S.J., the spiritual director of St. Therese of Lisieux, like other holy Jesuits, preached that sadness and discouragement come from the devil. In the following quote, he relates it to the meeting of Our Lord and St. Mary Magdalene on Easter morning:

"Unexpectedly, He shows Himself to her, but Magdalen does not recognize Him. Sadness acts as a veil which robs her of the clear sight of God. Sadness and worry are the devil's masterpieces. We are incapable of great deeds while we are sad... The devil desires nothing so much as to rob us of our peace and joy of soul. Magdalen was sad; therefore, she did not recognize Our Lord."

~ Almire Pichon, S.J., Seeds of the Kingdom, imprimatur 1961.