“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
Daily Reflections
Saturday, 22nd July 2017.
Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Feast of St. Mary Magdalene
Song 3:1-4 or 2Cor 5:14-17;
Ps 63: 1-5, 7-8;
Jn 20:1-2, 11-18.
CLINGING TO CHRIST!
Mary Magdalene is considered as the second-most important woman in the New Testament after Mary, mother of Jesus. She travelled with Jesus as one of his followers and also witnessed two important moments in Jesus’ life - crucifixion and resurrection. The gospel references describe her as a courageous and brave woman who stood by Jesus in his hours of suffering, death and beyond.
Saint Mary Magdalene is an example of a true and authentic evangelizer, an evangelist who announces the central joyful message of Easter. This woman “who so loved Christ and was so greatly loved by Christ”. She was part of the group of Jesus’ disciples, she accompanied him to the foot of the Cross and, in the garden where she met him at the tomb, was the first “witness of Divine Mercy.” The Gospel of John tells us that Mary Magdalene wept because she could not find the body of the Lord (Jn 20:11); and that Jesus had mercy on her by letting himself be known as her Master, thus transforming her tears into paschal joy.
She had the honour to be the first witness of the Lord’s resurrection, the first who saw the empty tomb and the first to hear the truth about his resurrection. Christ showed special consideration and mercy to this woman who showed her love for Christ by seeking him in her anguish and suffering in the garden. In this way it is possible to highlight the contrast between the woman present in the garden of paradise and the woman present in the garden of the resurrection. The first woman offered death to a man in Paradise, the second announces life to the men from the tomb.”
In the garden of the resurrection, Our Lord said to Mary, “Do not cling to me” (Jn 20:17). This is an invitation to enter into an experience of faith that goes beyond materialistic assumptions and the human grasping after the divine Mystery which is not simply addressed to Mary but to the entire Church. This is an important lesson for every disciple of Jesus Christ to neither seek human securities nor the vainglory of this world, but in faith to seek the living and risen Christ.
She was an eyewitness to the risen Christ, she was also the first one to bear witness to him before the Apostles. She fulfils the command of the Risen Lord: “‘Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples ‘I have seen the Lord’ and she told them that he had said these things to her” (Jn 20:17-18). Thus, she becomes an evangelist, that is a messenger who announces the Good News of the Lord’s Resurrection. She announces to the apostles what in turn they will announce to the whole world. Thus she is called ‘the Apostle to the Apostles’. She is the witness to the risen Christ and announces the message of the Lord’s resurrection just like the rest of the Apostles. The special mission of this woman is an example and model for all women in the Church.
Reflect, today, upon the desire in the Heart of our Lord that we cling to Him in Heaven. Hear Him say to you, “I have now ascended to my Father and I invite you to cling to me with your whole heart. Let me in and allow me to dwell within you in all intimacy. I love you and want to be one with you. Will you let me into your heart?”
Prayer: Lord, I do want to cling to You. I do choose to be one with You in every way. Come live in my heart and make me one with You. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.