“In trial or difficulty
I have recourse to Mother Mary
whose glance alone is enough
to dissipate every fear.”
~~Saint Therese of Lisieux
“In trial or difficulty
I have recourse to Mother Mary
whose glance alone is enough
to dissipate every fear.”
~~Saint Therese of Lisieux
Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
Lectionary: 603
Reading I
SGS 3:1-4B
The Bride says:
On my bed at night I sought him
whom my heart loves–
I sought him but I did not find him.
I will rise then and go about the city;
in the streets and crossings I will seek
Him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but I did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me,
as they made their rounds of the city:
Have you seen him whom my heart loves?
I had hardly left them
when I found him whom my heart loves.
OR
2 COR 5:14-17
Brothers and sisters:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;
even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know him so no longer.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
Responsorial Psalm PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (2) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way?
I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.
R. Alleluia
Gospel JN 20:1-2, 11-18
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where they put him."
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,
and I don't know where they laid him."
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?"
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
"Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
"Rabbouni," which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
"Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
'I am going 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 then reported what he told her.
**********************************
The cure for confusion
I totally resonate with her confusion. Nearly every day I feel confused about what God is doing. You too, right? But, thanks to many years of working on my relationship with God as my loving Father, I’ve learned that it is not important whether I understand or not!
Abba-Father does not enjoy putting us through the torments of confusion. He gave us a way out — for example, in Acts 1:7-8. When Jesus was ready to ascend to Heaven, his disciples questioned him, trying to clear up their confusion about God’s plans. They asked him, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?”
He replied: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
Abba-Father’s authority is key here. We need to trust it. He doesn’t always clear up our confusion, but he does always make clear his presence and his involvement. But we can only see it if we seek it.
More important than knowing what to expect is to know that God knows. One of my favorite mottos is: “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.”
God gives us whatever we need for doing our best and enjoying this earthly life in the most beneficial way. When we are confused, when we have unanswered questions, the Holy Spirit is our aid and our ally. The Holy Spirit is the divine authority of God activating his helpfulness in our journey of becoming more and more like Christ.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will teach us everything we need to know (see John 14:26). This does not mean that we become all-knowing; it means that we can trust the all-knowingness of God and safely believe that he will teach us what we need to know when we need to know it. His knowledge will assist us.
God Bless You.....
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