Mary Magdalene
Pope Francis elevated her day from a Memorial to a Feast Day. Rightly so, she is known as the apostle to the Apostles. She was the first to see the Risen Lord. She was the first to share the Good News with the other Apostles. She was at the foot of the cross when Jesus died. She gives us a witness of faith. In the early hours of morning, before the light of the sun had broken across Jerusalem, she hurried to the garden where the Lord was laid in the tomb. She wanted to be close to Him. She did not know what she was looking for. But just by the effort of looking she was rewarded to be in the presence of the Risen Christ.
Do we forget? We are all looking for the Risen Christ. As different as we all are, He is the same for each of us. He grants us abundant grace and overwhelming love. To be in His presence is to experience great joy. Mary knew she had sinned greatly, but she had also experienced the forgiveness of her sins. Nothing would keep her from the Lord. The greatest threat keeping us from accepting the joy and love of the Lord is ourselves. We hold back. We think we may not be good enough. We think our sins are too great. None of this is true. Perhaps our sins blur our vision, but Jesus is there. When we cannot see Him, listen for Him. He will call you by name.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen