Not knowing how to love

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary explore the nature of the love that stirs our soul when we are struggling with our deepest attachments. Today is the feast of Mary Magdalene, who is a person deeply in love with Jesus and becoming more knowing of her beloved as she struggles with the expression of the relationship. The Song of Songs is compelling as an account of the tension between restlessness and deep peace in the pursuit of intimacy with the beloved. The psalmist struggles with satisfaction, praise and restless watchfulness as he contemplates the impact of the Lord on his soul. The Gospel of John records the reward and frustration of Mary’s restless watchfulness while it was still dark in the morning of the first day of the week when she encounters the resurrected Jesus and she cries out in confused joy. She is the example of our need to know more and live more of this intimacy as a transcendent experience. We try to listen and obey the instructions to seek Him as He goes ahead to our Galilee where we are invited to “Follow Him”.