FIRST READING
“I found him whom my soul loves.”
A reading from the Song of Solomon (Song of Solomon 3:1-4ab)
The bride responds: Upon my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves. ”I sought him, but found him not. The watchmen found me, as they went about in the city. “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” Scarcely had I passed them, when I found him whom my soul loves.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 63:2-4.5-6.8-9(R.see2b)
R/. For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.
O God, you are my God; at dawn I seek you;
For you my soul is thirsting.
For you my flesh is pining,
Like a dry, weary land without water. R.
I have come before you in the sanctuary,
To behold your strength and your glory.
Your loving mercy is better than life;
My lips will speak your praise. R.
R/. For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.
I will bless you all my life;
In your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet;
With joyful lips, my mouth shall praise you. R.
For you have been my strength;
In the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings fast to you;
Your right hand upholds me. R.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia. O Mary, tell us what you saw along the way. The tomb I saw of the living Christ, and the glory of the Risen One. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek? ”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 20:1-2.11-18)
Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
Mary Magdalene loved Jesus much. That is why even before sunrise she does a lot of running! First, she goes to the tomb where Jesus was buried. Then she runs back to tell Peter that the body has been removed by someone. But again, she rushes back to the tomb and finds two angels in white sitting near the tomb and subsequently Jesus himself standing there. After Jesus’ self-revelation, she runs back to Peter and other disciples to declare, “I have seen the Lord.” Doesn’t all this simply indicate how much she loved Jesus? As a reward, she is given the privilege to first meet and recognize the risen Lord, and to go and announce to the apostles about the resurrection. Thus Mary, having experienced the risen Lord herself, becomes an Apostles to the apostles, announcing the Good News to them. Mary is a model disciple filled with the love of the Lord. How much do you and I love the Lord?