St. Mary Magdalen
Song of Songs 3:1-4 | Psalm 62:2-6,8-9 | John 20:1-2,11-18
whom my heart loves (Song of Songs 3:1,2,3,4)
So nice she said it twice…twice.
I love Jesus, and Jesus loves me!
From a child, that bold statement elicits laughs of approval, but when it comes from the mouth of a grown man, the room will instantly fall silent, with every pair of eyes fixed on the utterer, until someone breaks the silence with “Amen, brother!”…or “Homo! HOMO!”
In a world where His name is usually used as a curse, often with a rude word tucked in between (“J F C!”), one who loves our Lord and Saviour is often treated by non-believers as an anachronistic simpleton at best, or The Enemy to be quashed with half-baked scientific arguments and flawed reason at worst.
But the heart wants what the heart wants, and this heart wants Jesus.
Even when the day is filled with trials and tribulation, to the point where I’m on the brink of “why, Lord, WHY?!?!“, this heart still wants Jesus.
And when my oldest friend does his “personal devil’s advocate” thing, forcing me to research what I profess to believe and push back the boundaries of my faith, this heart really wants Jesus.
I guess I’m just a sucker for Christ. ? ?
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
Today’s Gospel acclamation brought to mind a long-held misconception:
| Dic nobis Maria, quid vidisti in via? | Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way. |
| Sepulcrum Christi viventis, et gloriam vidi resurgentis: | The tomb the Living did enclose; I saw Christ’s glory as he rose! |
For some reason, I’ve always associated this with Mother Mary, rather than of course Mary of Magdala, whose feast we celebrate today.
I guess it’s past time to do some reprogramming. ?