St. Mary Magdalene - On my bed at night I sought the man whom my heart loves: I sought but could not find him!

    "Draw me in your footsteps, let us run. The king has brought me into his room; you will be our joy and our gladness. We shall praise your love more than wine; how right it is to love you." (Sgs. 1:4). Yes, how right it is to love you with an everlasting love, love the strongest force in the world. Anyone who does not yet understand love may be surprised at the actions carried out when possessed by its force. One will only need to pass through the road of true love to be able to understand what is inside. True love of which the author of Song of songs cried out "Love no flood can quench, no torrent drown. Were a man to offer all his family wealth to buy love, contempt is all that he would gain" (Sgs. 8:7) and in another place "Beloved set me as a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is strong as death. (Sgs. 8:6). It was this love that captured the heart of the repentant sinner: St. Mary Magdalene.

    Even though little is known about her like when she was born or when she died, her heroic love gained her the title of ' the Apostle of the Apostles'. She, obviously, was among the women who followed Jesus and ministered to him. When Jesus was arrested, many other women ran away but Mary Magdalene, John the beloved, Mary the wife of Clopas and  Mary, mother of Jesus, according to St. John's Gospel, followed him to Calvary. She was not afraid of the soldiers, nor was she willing to deny her love like the head of the apostles, nor to run away like the other apostles but her love was persevering to the end. Surprisingly and most touching, her love for Jesus did not end at the death of Jesus but she sought her beloved even in death. Very early on the third day, when it was still dark, she set-out to meet her beloved. If she had been asked woman what are you doing? she would have answered like the beloved in the Song of songs, "On my bed at night I sought the man whom my heart loves: I sought but could not find him! (Sgs. 3:1). She wasn't afraid of going to the tomb so early, nor did she worry about the soldiers stationed at the tomb, nor the stone covering the tomb but love pushed her, love compelled her. It was obvious that she was sleepless at night, she sought him who is the love of her life. Even when she found out that tomb was empty, she ran and called the apostles, when the head of the apostles came together with the beloved apostle, they saw and left but Mary persevered, she was at the tomb crying. Thus, she merited to be the first witness of the resurrection, the Apostle of the apostles. She cried out, if you had taken him away, tell me, let me go and carry him, (Cf. John 20:15). What would she do with the dead body? it was just love and longing for her beloved that bade her talk and when she recognized Jesus, she tried to cling to him like the beloved in the Song of songs "When I found my sweetheart. I caught him, would not let him go, not till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room where she conceived me" (Sgs. 3:4). Of course she never let Jesus go, she carried him in her heart till her last breadth. Tradition holds that she lived with the Christian community for some years and then moved to the desert where she lived as a hermit till her death.

O Lord give us the grace to love you above all things.

St. Mary Magdalene             pray for us

Leave your comments, questions and contributions in the comment session below👇