The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to activate our experience of love that overwhelms and inspires us to honour those relationships.
The reading from the Song of Songs is a Dream of Love.
* [3:1–5] See the parallel in 5:2–8.
* [3:2] The motif of seeking/finding here and elsewhere is used by later Christian and Jewish mystics to speak of the soul’s search for the divine.
* [3:4] Whom my soul loves: the fourfold repetition of this phrase in vv. 1–4 highlights the depth of the woman’s emotion and desire. Mother’s house: cf. 8:2; a place of safety and intimacy, one which implicitly signifies approval of the lovers’ relationship. (Song of Songs, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Corinthians declares a New Creation and celebrates the Ministry of Reconciliation.
* [5:14–15] These verses echo 2 Cor 4:14 and resume the treatment of “life despite death” from 2 Cor 4:7–5:10.
* [5:16–17] Consequently: the death of Christ described in 2 Cor 5:14–15 produces a whole new order (2 Cor 5:17) and a new mode of perception (2 Cor 5:16). According to the flesh: the natural mode of perception, characterized as “fleshly,” is replaced by a mode of perception proper to the Spirit. Elsewhere Paul contrasts what Christ looks like according to the old criteria (weakness, powerlessness, folly, death) and according to the new (wisdom, power, life); cf. 2 Cor 5:15, 21; 1 Cor 1:17–3:3. Similarly, he describes the paradoxical nature of Christian existence, e.g., in 2 Cor 4:10–11, 14. A new creation: rabbis used this expression to describe the effect of the entrance of a proselyte or convert into Judaism or of the remission of sins on the Day of Atonement. The new order created in Christ is the new covenant (2 Cor 3:6). (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 63 declares Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence.
* [Psalm 63] A Psalm expressing the intimate relationship between God and the worshiper. Separated from God (Ps 63:2), the psalmist longs for the divine life given in the Temple (Ps 63:3–6), which is based on a close relationship with God (Ps 63:7–9). May all my enemies be destroyed and God’s true worshipers continue in giving praise (Ps 63:10–11)!
* [63:4] For your love is better than life: only here in the Old Testament is anything prized above life—in this case God’s love. (Psalms, PSALM 63 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, after the Resurrection, Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene.
* [20:11–18] This appearance to Mary is found only in John, but cf. Mt 28:8–10 and Mk 16:9–11.
* [20:16] Rabbouni: Hebrew or Aramaic for “my master.”
* [20:17] Stop holding on to me: see Mt 28:9, where the women take hold of his feet. I have not yet ascended: for John and many of the New Testament writers, the ascension in the theological sense of going to the Father to be glorified took place with the resurrection as one action. This scene in John dramatizes such an understanding, for by Easter night Jesus is glorified and can give the Spirit. Therefore his ascension takes place immediately after he has talked to Mary. In such a view, the ascension after forty days described in Acts 1:1–11 would be simply a termination of earthly appearances or, perhaps better, an introduction to the conferral of the Spirit upon the early church, modeled on Elisha’s being able to have a (double) share in the spirit of Elijah if he saw him being taken up (same verb as ascending) into heaven (2 Kgs 2:9–12). To my Father and your Father, to my God and your God: this echoes Ru 1:16: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” The Father of Jesus will now become the Father of the disciples because, once ascended, Jesus can give them the Spirit that comes from the Father and they can be reborn as God’s children (Jn 3:5). That is why he calls them my brothers. (John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)
Steve Scholer comments that if we truly admire St. Mary Magdalene and her role as the Apostle to the Apostles, as described by St. Thomas Aquinas and confirmed by Pope Francis when he made July 22nd the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, we need to think long and hard about where we stand on the loyalty scale with Christ, the church, and how we live out our faith.
So, as we go about our daily Examen of Conscience and review our day, let’s try to focus on God’s constant presence and love for us and how God is impacting our lives. Let us reflect that the loyalty of Mary pales in comparison to the loyalty God has for each of us. His support for us in our times of need is endless. What can we do in return, to demonstrate our loyalty to God and to the Church?
"Do not weep or grieve or be in doubt, for his grace will be with you all and will protect you. Rather, let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us and made us truly human." The Gospel of Mary (Scholer, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “The love of Christ enflamed her,” by Gregory the Great (540-604 AD).
"Mary Magdalene, who had been a sinner in the city (Luke 7:37), loved the Truth and so washed away with her tears the stains of wickedness (Luke 7:47). Her sins had kept her cold, but afterward she burned with an irresistible love... We must consider this woman's state of mind whose great force of love inflamed her. When even the disciples departed from the sepulcher, she did not depart. She looked for him whom she had not found... But it is not enough for a lover to have looked once, because the force of love intensifies the effort of the search. She looked for him a first time and found nothing. She persevered in seeking, and that is why she found him. As her unfulfilled desires increased, they took possession of what they found (Song of Songs 3:1-4)... Holy desires, as I have told you before, increase by delay in their fulfillment. If delay causes them to fail, they were not desires... This was Mary's kind of love as she turned a second time to the sepulcher she had already looked into. Let us see the result of her search, which had been redoubled by the power of love." (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 25) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 20:1-2, 11-18 asks “What made Mary Magdalene so unwavering?” Likely, she remembered what life was like before she met the Lord.
We, too, have many, many reasons to be grateful for the ways Jesus has transformed our lives. Our gratitude can help us to push aside any regret, shame, grief, or fear that may be keeping us from seeking after Jesus with our whole hearts. May we pursue him with the same passion and persistence as Mary did. He is worth all that we can give him!
“Lord, I stand in gratitude today for all that you have done for me. I want to follow you today with passion, wherever you lead me.” (Meditation on John 20:1-2, 11-18, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the parallel of the passage from the Song of Songs to the encounter between Mary Magdalene and Jesus in the Gospel. In John, the Garden of this encounter is the garden of Eden and Mary represents the Church searching for Jesus. Jesus' message to Mary signifies that we know Him now in Spirit and Sacrament. Friar Jude reminds us that the “fallen woman” portrayal of Mary comes much later in Church history.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, names the importance of acknowledging wrong and harm, while trusting in the gift of grace.
God fully forgives us, but the impact or “karma” of our mistakes remains, and we must still go back and repair the bonds we’ve broken. Otherwise, others may not be able to forgive us, nor will we likely forgive ourselves. “Amazing grace” is not a way to avoid honest human relationships. Rather, it’s a way to redo them—but now, gracefully—for the liberation of both sides. Nothing just goes away in the spiritual world; all must be reconciled and accounted for. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)
We celebrate the Love we have experienced on our journey and seek the guidance of the Spirit to honour our relationships through our loyalty and support.
References
John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?1
Meditation on John 20:1-2, 11-18. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/07/22/1030629/
Psalms, PSALM 63 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/63?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Facing the Hurt. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/facing-the-hurt/
Scholer, S. (2024, July 22). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072224.htm
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jul22a
Song of Songs, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/songofsongs/3?1
2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/5?14
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