Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, known as the Apostle of the Apostles” due to her role in witnessing the resurrection of Jesus. The Lord assigned her the honor to proclaim the Good News of his resurrection to the other apostles. What a task? What a privilege? Mary Magdalene was one of the holy women that accompanied the Lord Jesus during His ministry.
Our first reading today is from the Book of Song of Songs, also known as the Songs of Solomon. In the first reading the bride longs for her lover and, going out seeking him and asking people if they have seen him. This was a prefigurement of what happened in our Gospel passage today, in which Mary Magdalene experiences the empty tomb and wants to know where the body of her Master-Teacher is. She then encounters a person she supposes is a gardener, but who is actually the one who was searching for- Jesus.
In both readings we find the human virtues of love, dedication, patient endurance, and genuine friendship.
Like Mary Magdalene and the bride who seeks her lover, may we longingly seek out our Master-Teacher-Beloved.
May we search where we can find him. May he not delay. Come Lord Jesus. As we know a lot of people, our brothers and sisters, still seek the Lord. They are hungry. As Jesus would say, these our brothers and sisters are like sheep without a shepherd. May we help in feeding these flock of Jesus.
In the past few says, here in the United States, many have gathered in Indianapolis for the Eucharistic Revival. Who do the seek? Did they find Him who they love, whom they are searching for?
May the Eucharist revival be a great time to jump start the devotion and love of Jesus present sacramentally in the Holy Eucharist.
As we search for the Lord, may we help others we may meet along the way.
I will like to conclude with this reflection I saw in Franciscan Media: “Scripture tells us that those who seek the Lord “lack no good thing.” (Ps 34:11) But the absolute certainty of such a verse may feel a little strange to our modern ear. Reading it, we may find ourselves a little put off. Head shaking, we may want to dismiss it as overly simplistic. Ponder those words for a moment. Take them seriously. What does it mean to lack no blessing? Is it a promise of earthly success and comfort? Or could the psalmist simply be reminding us of a truth we may have missed: the value of seeking.”
Have a blessed Week
