Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

LECTIONARY
603

FIRST READING

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.

PSALM

PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Response: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Daily Reflection

The quest for the beloved starts from the First Reading, as it unfolds in beautiful poetry, “I sought him whom my soul loves…” We all experience this quest for the Lord Jesus. We search for a glimpse, a manifestation of the creator God. We look for the face of Jesus in the mix of people with whom we share our space and in the events that happen to us.

Today’s passage from John tells us that Mary Magdalene is searching for her beloved Master. Her faith and her hope are answered; she encounters the risen Jesus. And her response is very natural: she wants to cling to him. Jesus, however, has another mission for her; she is to announce to the disciples that she “has seen the Lord” - she is to be the Lord’s witness to the world that He lives!

We are challenged by the Gospel to follow Mary Magdalene’s example: we must share our faith experience of God with others and we, too, must be witnesses in the world, that God lives.