Living Learning and Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, invite us to contemplate the power of love to make visible in our material life the mystical Presence of Love Incarnate.

Love and Life

The Reading from the Song of Songs presents the deep emotional love connected to Loss and Discovery.

* [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 Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians presents our life as a new creation.

* [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 expresses the intimate relationship between God and the worshiper.

* [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. (Psalm 63, PSALMS | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents The Empty Tomb and The Appearance to Mary of Magdala.

* [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.)

Kathy Kemler asks How does the resurrected Jesus call you?  What is the name (method/manner) that He speaks to you in that you immediately recognize it as the voice of God? And how do you remain open so that you may understand and respond with the awareness that he is “Teacher”. 

This part of today’s Gospel touched me because sometimes I too don’t recognize Jesus in the moment, or in a situation. And somehow as if in the gentle calling of my name he brings my awareness to, “that which is”.  Recently I was struggling with a situation that had occurred. I was “underwater” as I would call it, distressed about the situation, fumbling around and living in the muck, in the darkness.  One morning during this floundering, I was reading a devotional reflection and suddenly, it was as if Jesus called me by name and shined a bright light of awareness onto my situation, my internal disposition.  He was calling to my attention to, “what is”.  I had been focused on begrudging the situation rather than embracing and accepting the reality of the situation and what I could learn from it. It was if he called my name to bring to my attention the opportunity to learn, grow, and be transformed through the situation.  I too could have spoken in that moment, “Teacher” because I had a great sense of learning and understanding of myself. (Kemler, n.d.)

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.)

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on some of the many connections in the Scriptures today that are not immediately obvious in the texts. The Second Letter to the Corinthians reminds us that we are not to judge according to the flesh. All people are to be treated as God’s children. Others are the new creation in love, too. In the Gospel of John Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb on the first day at about dawn when the disk of the sun is not yet visible. Friar Jude explains the connection of “the Morning Star, Venus, the Goddess of love. He notes the different number of people who go to the tomb in the Gospel accounts. Mary Magdalene represents the Church looking for her beloved. Hebrew Law required two to give witness and the requirement was met by the two angels. Mary Magdalene is “the apostle to the apostles” (apostle :one who gives witness to the resurrection). As in the Song of Songs, Mary Magdalene is searching compelled by love and Jesus is not recognized in His Resurrected Body but by His calling her name. Friar Jude notes that this is one of three episodes in the Gospel where He is not immediately recognized. Our resurrected body will not be the same but changed. When Jesus calls Mary’s name, we learn “the sheep recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd”. Friar Jude observes the instruction of Jesus not to embrace the Glorified Body and challenges us to ask ourselves when we try to cling, is it love or control?

The Word Among Us Meditation on the Song of Songs 3:1-4 comments that After Jesus’ death, when most of the other disciples hid in fear, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb as soon as she could. And while she may have been afraid, something compelled her to go find him. The love that had transformed her life propelled her to follow Jesus even into the most uncomfortable, dangerous places. As a result, she became the first witness to the risen Christ and the first one to proclaim, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18)!

You may not have experienced anything quite as dramatic as having seven demons cast out of you, but perhaps you can think of some sin that used to keep you bound that you no longer struggle with. Or perhaps your life was headed in one direction and took a very different turn after you met Jesus. Praise God for all those miracles! And if there’s a part of you that needs more of his love and power, invite him in. Let him keep transforming you.

“Jesus, you are the One whom my heart loves.” (Meditation on the Song of Songs 3:1-4, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Lerita Coleman Brown (1953–2025) who reflects on the legacy of Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman (1899–1981) and the wisdom he continues to offer us today. The interfaith minister and author Liza J. Rankow describes Thurman’s work and witness.

There is a stereotype of mystics seeking to escape the world, concerned only with the ecstasy of their own experience of union with the Divine; yet in that union is a doorway that opens out into everything and everyone. The experience of oneness brings us back into relationship with the allness. The oneness and the allness inter-be…. Thus we feel deeply the wounds of a battered world, and the suffering and the needs of the people—including, as Thurman puts it in Jesus and the Disinherited, those “with their backs against the wall”—the disenfranchised, the marginalized and the oppressed. Inaction is not an option. The mystic worldview creates an ethical mandate, and it offers a new way to enter the world of social transformation—from the position of oneness rather than dualism. It shifts the paradigm…. Thurman often quoted social union leader Eugene Debs: “While there is a lower class, I am in it, while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” [3]

Thurman spoke of spiritual disciplines as those practices by which we remove the barriers to our “inner altar”—our place of communion with God. And through this definition, he included activism as a spiritual discipline…. He affirmed the necessity to identify with, and work for the liberation and reconciliation of all parties in order to restore beloved community. [4] (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the events in our lives when the Spirit reveals that we have been “called by name” to understand relationships in a new Way that reveals our growth through Love. 

References

John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20? 

Kemler, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Daily Reflections. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-22-2026 

Meditation on the Song of Songs 3:1-4. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/22/1628315/ 

Psalm 63, PSALMS | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/63?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Howard Thurman: A Worldview of Oneness. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/howard-thurman-a-worldview-of-oneness/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Have Seen the Lord! Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Song of Songs, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/songofsongs/3? 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/5?14 

The Word and Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, challenge us to ponder the faith and love of the Beloved Apostle that shows us the Way to fullness of life.

Beloved and the Word

The Reading from the First Letter of John proclaims The Word of Life*

* [1:1–4] There is a striking parallel to the prologue of the gospel of John (Jn 1:1–18), but the emphasis here is not on the preexistent Word but rather on the apostles’ witness to the incarnation of life by their experience of the historical Jesus. He is the Word of life (1 Jn 1:1; cf. Jn 1:4), the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible (1 Jn 1:2; cf. Jn 1:14), and was heard, seen, looked upon, and touched by the apostles. The purpose of their teaching is to share that life, called fellowship…with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ, with those who receive their witness (1 Jn 1:3; Jn 1:14, 16). (1 John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 97 praises God appearing in a storm.

* [Psalm 97] The hymn begins with God appearing in a storm, a traditional picture of some ancient Near Eastern gods (Ps 97:1–6); cf. Ps 18:8–16; Mi 1:3–4; Heb 3:3–15. Israel rejoices in the overthrowing of idol worshipers and their gods (Ps 97:7–9) and the rewarding of the faithful righteous (Ps 97:10–12). (Psalms, PSALM 97 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims The Empty Tomb. 

* [20:1–10] The story of the empty tomb is found in both the Matthean and the Lucan traditions; John’s version seems to be a fusion of the two.

* [20:1] Still dark: according to Mark the sun had risen, Matthew describes it as “dawning,” and Luke refers to early dawn. Mary sees the stone removed, not the empty tomb.

* [20:2] Mary runs away, not directed by an angel/young man as in the synoptic accounts. The plural “we” in the second part of her statement might reflect a tradition of more women going to the tomb.

* [20:3–10] The basic narrative is told of Peter alone in Lk 24:12, a verse missing in important manuscripts and which may be borrowed from tradition similar to John. Cf. also Lk 24:24.

* [20:6–8] Some special feature about the state of the burial cloths caused the beloved disciple to believe. Perhaps the details emphasized that the grave had not been robbed. (John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Anish Kochanichottil, SJ, comments that St. John is called ‘the beloved disciple’ because the biblical narratives reveal a man of great emotional power, capable of profound love and unwavering commitment. And love and commitment, he believes, help us understand others more clearly.

The Gospel says, “…he saw and believed.” John believed that Jesus had truly risen. He is credited as the first to understand and believe in the resurrection. What made this possible? It was love, love that gave him eyes to read the signs and a mind ready to grasp their meaning. The gospel and the Epistles of John speak repeatedly of love, showing that the author wrote from experience. Love is the greatest interpreter. Love can grasp the truth when intellect is confused. Love looks beyond the surface. (Kocnanichottil, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Word of Life was seen and touched,” by Severus of Antioch (488-538 AD).

"Given that this same John also said, 'No one has ever seen God' (John 1:18, 1 John 1:4:12), how can he assure us that the living Word of Life has been seen and touched? It is clear that it was in his incarnate and human form that he was visible and touchable. What was not true of him by nature became true of him in that way, for he is one and the same indivisible Word, both visible and invisible, and without diminishing in either respect he became touchable in both his divine-human nature. For he worked his miracles in his divinity and suffered for us in his humanity." (excerpt from CATENA) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 1:1-4 comments that the saint we celebrate today had the privilege of knowing the Lord and witnessing his resurrection—as well as the responsibility of proclaiming the good news of all that he saw and experienced. And John did proclaim it, not only in his missionary efforts, but especially in his Gospel and in the letters and the Book of Revelation that bear his name.

What is at the heart of John’s proclamation? That each of us can experience the joy that he felt because every one of us is a “disciple . . . whom [Jesus] loved” (John 19:26). That means you can experience John’s joy. And like John’s joy, it’s made “complete” as you give it away (1 John 1:4).

How have you seen and heard and felt Jesus? Whatever you have experienced, share it with someone today—and watch your joy grow!

“Holy Spirit, fill me with joy that overflows as I share the gospel!” (Meditation on 1 John 1:1-4, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the reading from the First Letter of John is from one of  perhaps three authors of the books; the Letters, the Gospel, and Revelation because the style and theology is very different in the three books. The beginning of the letter today is to remind us not of the preexisting nature of Christ but the Incarnate nature thereby fighting the heresy of docetism that claimed Jesus just pretended to be human. This letter emphasizes His humanity and when we saw the Word became flesh. Mary goes early to the tomb and informs the others and the Beloved arrives first demonstrating the power of Love to do incredible things. He arrives first but He bows to authority and presents again the contrast of the Beloved and Peter in the Gospel of John. Friar Jude reflects on the burial clothes being placed separately and the cloth over the face of Jesus was simply folded up and is connected to the Shroud of Turin. 

James Finley invites us to rest in the same awareness or “mind of Christ” that Jesus lived from. He did not live out of his head. It was not mere ideas that he espoused, but deeply realized, deeply lived truths of what it means to be a fully alive human being. Saint Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” We see the glory of God in the fully alive human person of Jesus. And in this way we, in seeing Jesus, see the glory of the flesh-and-blood human being we simply are and are called to be.

When we meditate, we enter the mind of Christ from the ground up. We do not bypass our breathing. Rather, we sit and listen and settle into the mystery of breathing…. When we sit still, we do not bypass the concrete immediacy of our bodily being. Rather, in sitting still we settle into the mystery of our bodily being that God the Father eternally contemplates in Christ the Word. When we meditate, we do not bypass our feelings. Rather, we settle into the mystery of all our feelings, as having their hidden, uncreated origins in the Father’s eternal contemplation of our feelings in Christ the Word. When we sit in meditation, we neither continue thinking nor abandon thought. Rather, we sit, quiet and still, in deepening meditative awareness of the uncreated origins of the Father’s eternal contemplation of thought in Christ the Word. (Finley, n.d.)

We hear that John “saw and believed” and we invoke the Spirit to enhance our vision and understanding of the message of Christ for fullness of life in our journey.

References

Finley, J. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 27, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/christ-in-all-things-weekly-summary/ 

John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?1 

Kocnanichottil, A. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved December 27, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-december-27-2025 

Meditation on 1 John 1:1-4. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved December 27, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/12/27/1459913/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/1?1 

Psalms, PSALM 97 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/97?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). John Saw the Word of God Made Flesh and Believed. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 27, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/