WEEPING OUT OF LOVE - 04/19/22 (Easter Tuesday)

John 20:14-17

14 Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 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." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher). 17 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."

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Blessed Easter Tuesday! Why was St. Mary Magdalene weeping? The reason why she wept was because of her love for Jesus. She wanted to be with Jesus even though she mistakenly thought that He was still dead, and someone stole His body. She was unable to see that Jesus was there speaking to her. What does this represent in our spiritual life? There may be times in our lives when we are weeping or crying because we desire to love God, but we are unable to love Him in a way He desires because of our sins. Even if we do not literally cry, a sign that someone loves Christ is sorrow for his or her sins. Due to our sinfulness, we may not see clearly the presence of our God in our lives. 

St. Mary Magdalene only knew that Jesus was really there when He called her by her name. It was only by knowing her identity that she recognized our Lord. In the same way, by knowing our identity as beloved children of God, we can know our God and love Him even more. How can we know ourselves more deeply? We can do this by being aware of our sins and faults. Jesus is our Teacher. He reveals to us His teachings and commandments through the Church for us to know the will of God and change our ways when we offend Him. If we want to repent of our sins, it is necessary to acknowledge before God our wrong doings, and when we humble ourselves before Him, we will see how He guides us to correct our ways. 

Jesus said to Mary Magdalene to tell the disciples that He was risen, and He would ascend to the Father soon. St. Mary immediately followed what our Lord instructed her to do. One reason why Jesus Christ spoke about this was to strengthen the faith of His disciples about His resurrection. At the same time, He gave them hope of entering heaven to be with Him forever. When we realize our shortcomings before God, may we remember that Jesus teaches us these things for us to be with Him in His Kingdom. Like St. Mary Magdalene, let's persevere and do the resolutions that God shows to us in order to avoid sinning. 

Let's reflect upon our love for our resurrected Lord and Savior. When we commit a sin, especially a grave sin, do we experience sorrow out of love for God? And, do we have the desire to do what is pleasing to Him and avoid the sins that keep us away from Him? Love is the only appropriate action towards our Beloved who loves us first. By admitting our sins and repenting for them, we can receive the mercy of God who never fails to love His children. To know ourselves, our brokenness, sinfulness and weaknesses, we can see how Jesus guides us and touches our lives with the healing power of His love. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic