Song of Solomon 3:1-4ab,
Psalm 63:2.2-4.5-6.8,
John 20:1-2.11-18 Full Readings
Deep Love for Jesus
Today we celebrate the feast day Mary Magdalene, a perfect example of clinging and having deep love for Jesus. Mary Magdalene was regarded as sinful and unworthy by the Jews, not even to talk to a Rabbi, for a Rabbi was always a holy person and so no one unclean would relate with him.
Scripture has it that Mary Magdalene was the woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (meaning she was very sinful according to the Jewish understanding) and Pope Saint Gregory identified her as the one who was caught in adultery and was almost being stoned. But Jesus forgave her and she experienced the love of God and so her clinging to Jesus up to the end even after His death. Today we celebrate her as saint.
She was among the women who assisted Jesus and the apostles as they traveled and preached the Good News. This Mary stood at the foot of the Cross, and was the first to encounter the risen Lord (Mk 16:9). The Byzantine Liturgy claims that Jesus made Mary Magdalene “the apostle of the Apostles.” and indeed she is an Apostle. After all Apostles locked themselves in the room, she had courage to go to the tomb and indeed became the first to bring the good news of the resurrection of Jesus, she became an Apostle.
Brethren, we should also try to imitate Mary Magdalene. All of us have experienced the love, mercy and forgiveness of God, what then is lagging us behind not to become Apostles. Jesus is ready to make us His Apostles despite our sinful past, despite how people see us and identify us to be. What we need is to trust Him in all what we do and surrender everything to Him. This will automatically increase our love for Him and we will cling to Him without fear or favour like Mary Magdalene.
Her desperate heart at the tomb, searching for Jesus shows the greater love Mary had for Jesus. How deep is your love for Jesus, at all times, in joy and in sorrow. Most times as human beings when we are faced with sorrow, we tend to turn away from Jesus and find other means, meaning our love for Jesus is very shallow, Jesus should be the centre of our hearts and live at every moment.
We may ask ourselves why Jesus told Mary, “don't cling to me because I have not yet ascended to the father” Is Jesus stopping Mary from loving Him? No, Jesus was in fact helping her for her growth in her spiritual Journey. Mary was clinging to Jesus on a human level, being with Jesus and enjoying his physical presence. It was a relationship on a personal level. But since Jesus was going to the Father, Mary had to transcend this human relationship to the Divine Relationship, to love him in a divine way, that is, Jesus would now come from heaven and enter Mary's soul as a divine communion, a spiritual relationship. Mary would therefore transform all human emotions to the Divine longing for Christ. We have to remember that Jesus' message to Mary is also for us, it's an invitation to cling in Jesus spiritually as our sole love and comforter of our hearts. This is the Divine Marriage, as he loves us as His bride, the church.
When Jesus called the name of Mary, Mary automatically recognised him, their relationship had gone deep that even a mere calling would make her recognise Jesus. Are we able to recognize the voice of Christ in our lives. There are a lot of voices in life always calling us, and we have a hard task to discern which is the right voice for us, which is the voice of Christ.
Christ speaks to us through his Word, his chosen servants, priests, and religious, through our parents, friends, superiors, visions and others. However Christ also warned us of false prophets who would come in his name. Recognising if it's the voice of Christ is simple but to those who trust in him. We only need faith in him, trust and a deep relationship with him. It's there that he will give us the spirit of discernment so that we may be able to know him, recognise him, and follow him.
Reflect today on how you cling to Jesus spiritually and ask for the graces to recognize Him and His voice in all your daily experiences. Pray for daily deepening of your love for Christ.
Let us Pray
Grant me the graces, O Lord, that I may always cling to you and enjoy your presence forever. May I continue to grow daily in the love for you. Amen.
Be blessed
May i always cling to Jesus forever
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