Jn 20:1-2, 11-18 Whom are you looking for?
(Click here fore reading)
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene - the notorious sinner who became a renowned saint. If she could become a saint, what stops me from becoming one too? If she could embrace the Lord, literally and spiritually, why not I? Sylvia Browne, the #1 New York Times bestselling author, wrote a book entitled: "The Two Marys: The Hidden Life of the Mother and Wife of Jesus". How ridiculous! How foolish! How blasphemous! Why do we love scandal? Why do we thrive on it and feed off of it - given the amount of money made off of it from tabloid magazines to shock radio and "in your face" talk shows. Is it so difficult to imagine Mary loving the Lord in a chaste and holy manner? Like brother and sister? No, it is not, and that's why it doesn't sell. Regardless, the testimony given to us by 2000 years of historical evidence and the voices of the early witnesses confirms time and time again, that Jesus lived his life for us and in preparation for his return to the Father. He lived a life of purity, chastity and obedience. Mary of Magdala sought the Lord out of love for the Lord. We seek out those who have changed our lives for good! She truly experienced Christ as her Lord and Savior! As Mary's faith matured, she grew in stature and dignity. Mary had no fears because she had already shed many tears. She must have been a remarkable woman who went against the grain, even as a devoted Christian, by refusing to let go of the Lord, or by having a defeatist attitude that may have prevailed among most of the disciples and not too few Apostles. She allowed Jesus to be alive in her heart - dead or alive. For this reason she asks the "gardener", "if you have carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Of course she is speaking nonsense, given the weight of Christ's body, but her unconditional love for the Lord is so adorable, so admirable, so childlike that the gardener reveals to her his secret identity before revealing it to his own Apostles. Love trumps all kinds of orders, rules and regulations. Love conquers all. We must learn from Mary what she learned from the Lord: expect smiles through tears; victory in defeat; your worst case scenario to become your greatest moment ever!
(Click here fore reading)
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene - the notorious sinner who became a renowned saint. If she could become a saint, what stops me from becoming one too? If she could embrace the Lord, literally and spiritually, why not I? Sylvia Browne, the #1 New York Times bestselling author, wrote a book entitled: "The Two Marys: The Hidden Life of the Mother and Wife of Jesus". How ridiculous! How foolish! How blasphemous! Why do we love scandal? Why do we thrive on it and feed off of it - given the amount of money made off of it from tabloid magazines to shock radio and "in your face" talk shows. Is it so difficult to imagine Mary loving the Lord in a chaste and holy manner? Like brother and sister? No, it is not, and that's why it doesn't sell. Regardless, the testimony given to us by 2000 years of historical evidence and the voices of the early witnesses confirms time and time again, that Jesus lived his life for us and in preparation for his return to the Father. He lived a life of purity, chastity and obedience. Mary of Magdala sought the Lord out of love for the Lord. We seek out those who have changed our lives for good! She truly experienced Christ as her Lord and Savior! As Mary's faith matured, she grew in stature and dignity. Mary had no fears because she had already shed many tears. She must have been a remarkable woman who went against the grain, even as a devoted Christian, by refusing to let go of the Lord, or by having a defeatist attitude that may have prevailed among most of the disciples and not too few Apostles. She allowed Jesus to be alive in her heart - dead or alive. For this reason she asks the "gardener", "if you have carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Of course she is speaking nonsense, given the weight of Christ's body, but her unconditional love for the Lord is so adorable, so admirable, so childlike that the gardener reveals to her his secret identity before revealing it to his own Apostles. Love trumps all kinds of orders, rules and regulations. Love conquers all. We must learn from Mary what she learned from the Lord: expect smiles through tears; victory in defeat; your worst case scenario to become your greatest moment ever!
Why does Mary Magdalene not recognize Jesus until he calls her name? The same is true in Luke's gospel of the two men on the way to Emmaus. They don't recognize Jesus until he breaks bread with them, and once they do recognize him, "he vanished from their sight."
ReplyDeleteWhen he appears to the disciples in Luke's gospel, "they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost." He tells them to look at his hands and feet, to touch him and see that he is not a ghost. It isn't until after he shows them his hands and feet that they are "incredulous for joy" and amazed.
Jesus said to her,
ReplyDelete"Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father...
What does this mean? Are we not supposed to 'hold' on to Jesus?