Father's Message, 7/22/2020 Message

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene.  It was elevated to a Feast from an Obligatory Memorial by Pope Francis in 2016.  He did this so that we can learn from her example of love and witness.  There were two options to choose from today for the First Reading (the Song of Songs 3:1-4, or 2 Cor.5-14-17). 

As I often write, God teaches us about Divine things by use of human things, or, to put it another way, what we know about.  The theme today is revealing divine love through human love.  The Song of Songs is written in the form of a beautiful poem expressing love between a man and a woman.  We know that when we are in love, we long to see the beloved, and how our hearts beat with excitement to be in their presence.  The deeper truth is that it is revealing the love of God for each individual soul, in an intimate relationship, mirroring that of Christ with  His Church, which is us. 

Mary Magdalene stands for each of us desiring that perfect loving relationship, and not afraid to go searching until she is found.  I say until she is found, because, in reality God draws us to search for Him.  He knows us, and calls us by name, as He said the name of Mary.  Hopefully, we are able to feel how her heart must have quivered within her as she heard “Mary.”  He then gives her a mission, to reveal His resurrection, His being alive, and wanting His love to be spread to others, and she responds eagerly.  This is what is conveyed in 2 Cor, with the words, "The love of Christ impels us."  Thus we are able to acknowledge her in a Mass, to thank her for saying yes to Jesus, to thank her for being an Apostle to the Apostles, to thank her for being an example of love and witness.  St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us. 

God bless you,
Fr. Robert