Who do we want in our lives? Who are we looking for? In the answers to these questions, we define ourselves. You show who you are by the company you keep. You make clear your identity through the people you want to have around you. Through who you welcome into your heart, you not only fix your relationship with your neighbor, but also your relationship with God.
Today as we celebrate the feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene, through her example, we are reminded that we show who we are by who we seek. In today's Gospel reading we are told of how she went looking for Jesus after He had been buried. There we hear that
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.*
Mary Magdalene saw that Jesus' tomb had been opened. She not only ran to tell Saint Peter and the other disciple who Jesus loved, who was Saint John, but, since she sought Jesus, she returned to the tomb. There she encountered Jesus. Yet she did not realize she had once again been visited by Jesus. Jesus comes to us. Do we recognize Him?
A homeless woman showed up at my doorstep yesterday. Did I see Jesus in her? Jesus has told us that whatever we do to the least of those among us, we do to Him.** Whatever we do to the homeless person in front of us, we do to Jesus.
We can become passionate about Jesus. We can become so intent on finding God that we can fail to recognize Him when He is standing next to us. Then Jesus, in the impoverished person before us, may ask us, "Who are you looking for?"
Everyday we are presented with precious opportunities to love which are wrapped up with, which are inextricably intertwined with, our eternal destinies. When we have gotten to the other side of death, then we will meet Jesus no longer in poor persons, but Jesus as Himself. Then He will address us according to what we have done.
If we have fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the ill, and visited those in prison,*** Jesus will bid us to inherit the Kingdom.**** If we have failed to perform these corporal works of mercy, Jesus will tell us to depart from Him.***** For whatever we do to the least of those among us, we do to Him. And whatever we fail to do to those who are the least among us, we fail to do to Him.******
So, now, while we still have the chance to be merciful to our neighbor, especially those who are the least among us, do we recognize Jesus among us now, in the poor persons in front of us? Do we seek Jesus in the impoverished person, in the homeless person, who is literally reaching toward us, asking us for just a little bit of food to ease the hunger pains crying out towards us?
In whom we seek, we define ourselves. For in whom we seek, we decide our eternal destinies. In who we are looking for, we determine our relationship with God. Let us turn toward God, by opening our hearts to love, by loving our neighbor, right now, right in front of us. Amen.
* John 20:1-2, 11-18
** Matthew 25:40
*** Matthew 25:35-40
**** Matthew 25:34
***** Matthew 25:41
****** Matthew 25:45
Today as we celebrate the feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene, through her example, we are reminded that we show who we are by who we seek. In today's Gospel reading we are told of how she went looking for Jesus after He had been buried. There we hear that
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.*
Mary Magdalene saw that Jesus' tomb had been opened. She not only ran to tell Saint Peter and the other disciple who Jesus loved, who was Saint John, but, since she sought Jesus, she returned to the tomb. There she encountered Jesus. Yet she did not realize she had once again been visited by Jesus. Jesus comes to us. Do we recognize Him?
A homeless woman showed up at my doorstep yesterday. Did I see Jesus in her? Jesus has told us that whatever we do to the least of those among us, we do to Him.** Whatever we do to the homeless person in front of us, we do to Jesus.
We can become passionate about Jesus. We can become so intent on finding God that we can fail to recognize Him when He is standing next to us. Then Jesus, in the impoverished person before us, may ask us, "Who are you looking for?"
Everyday we are presented with precious opportunities to love which are wrapped up with, which are inextricably intertwined with, our eternal destinies. When we have gotten to the other side of death, then we will meet Jesus no longer in poor persons, but Jesus as Himself. Then He will address us according to what we have done.
If we have fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the ill, and visited those in prison,*** Jesus will bid us to inherit the Kingdom.**** If we have failed to perform these corporal works of mercy, Jesus will tell us to depart from Him.***** For whatever we do to the least of those among us, we do to Him. And whatever we fail to do to those who are the least among us, we fail to do to Him.******
So, now, while we still have the chance to be merciful to our neighbor, especially those who are the least among us, do we recognize Jesus among us now, in the poor persons in front of us? Do we seek Jesus in the impoverished person, in the homeless person, who is literally reaching toward us, asking us for just a little bit of food to ease the hunger pains crying out towards us?
In whom we seek, we define ourselves. For in whom we seek, we decide our eternal destinies. In who we are looking for, we determine our relationship with God. Let us turn toward God, by opening our hearts to love, by loving our neighbor, right now, right in front of us. Amen.
* John 20:1-2, 11-18
** Matthew 25:40
*** Matthew 25:35-40
**** Matthew 25:34
***** Matthew 25:41
****** Matthew 25:45
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