20260722 THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF DIVINE LOVE
22 July 2026, Wednesday, St Mary Magdalene
First reading |
Song of Songs 3:1-4 |
I found him whom my heart loves
The bride says this:
On my bed, at night, I sought him
whom my heart loves.
I sought but did not find him.
So I will rise and go through the City;
in the streets and in the squares
I will seek him whom my heart loves.
I sought but did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me
on their rounds in the City:
‘Have you seen him whom my heart loves?’
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my heart loves.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 62(63):2-6,8-9 |
For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.
For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
So 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,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.
For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
For you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.
For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Tell us, Mary: say
what thou didst see upon the way.
– The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
Alleluia!
Gospel |
John 20:1-2,11-18 |
'Mary, go and find the brothers and tell them'
It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
Meanwhile Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.
THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF DIVINE LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [SG 3:1-4 OR 2 COR 5:14-17; PS 63: 2.3-4.5-6.8-9; JN 20: 1-2, 11-18]
Today, we celebrate the power of love — human and divine. In the First Reading from the Song of Songs, the love of God for humanity is compared to the love of a woman for a man. Love drives us to give ourselves completely to the one whom we love. Human love is passionate and remains restless for the beloved. The lover will do anything to find his or her beloved. Hence, the bride says: “On my bed, at night, I sought him whom my heart loves. I sought but did not find him. So I will rise and go through the city; in the streets and the squares I will seek him whom my heart loves. I sought but did not find him. The watchmen came upon me on their rounds in the city: ‘Have you seen him whom my heart loves?’ Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my heart loves.” When the lover is united with the beloved, there is joy and fulfilment, because union brings security and peace.
This was the same faithful and passionate love of Mary Magdalene for Jesus. She had experienced the tender love and mercy of Jesus so deeply that she was totally devoted to our Lord. We are not certain whether this Magdalene is the same woman whose many sins were forgiven or the sister of Lazarus who anointed the feet of Jesus before His passion. Regardless, she became a devoted follower of our Lord. We can imagine how much Mary Magdalene suffered watching Jesus being tortured and crucified. It must have been unbearable, yet she was helpless. Hence, the best thing she could do for Jesus after His death was to continue loving Him at the tomb. She took upon herself the task of anointing the body of Jesus.
Yet for all her love for the Lord, it was a human love. She loved Jesus because Jesus had loved her deeply; her love for Jesus was a reciprocal response to His love for her. For this reason, Mary’s love remained on a natural level. She was attached to the personal and physical presence of Jesus. She wanted to feel and touch the Lord. Within this context, we can appreciate how distraught she was when she could not find the body left in the tomb after His burial: “It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,’ she said, ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.'”
We can sympathise with her strong attachment to the Lord, just as most people experience in human relationships. So strong is that attachment that it can be tantamount to being possessive, which often springs from a fear of loss. With fear and anxiety, possessiveness can grow out of proportion, leading to jealousy. In the case of Mary Magdalene, she was overcome with grief at the loss of Jesus’ body. She was weeping profusely, and when she looked inside the tomb, she saw “two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet.” But her tears prevented her from recognising the angels, and even the Lord when He appeared to her.
When we are in grief, in truth, we often mourn more for ourselves than for the one we lost. We are absorbed in our own needs because our life and happiness were dependent on that person. This is why those of us who go through bereavement find it so difficult to let go of our loved ones. We continue to live in nostalgic memories and wish they were still here.
What is consoling is that Jesus understands us in our bereavement, or when someone we love must depart from us. He felt for Mary Magdalene’s attachment to Him and did not admonish her. With tender love and mercy, He said to Mary, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Jesus allowed her to share her grief and sorrow. Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.” It was only when the Lord called her by name that she knew it was Him. Jesus said, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbuni!” (which means Teacher). There is rich meaning in this short conversation, beginning when Jesus asks, “Who are you looking for?” and then calls her by name.
Mary knew immediately it was Jesus because her heart and mind were always with the Lord. She is the disciple Jesus spoke of in His discourse on the Good Shepherd: “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” (Jn 10:3-5) When we are close to the Lord — like John, who saw the linen cloths in the empty tomb and believed (Jn 20:8) — intuitive love helps us distinguish the voice of our Lord amidst all the noise of the world.
We are reminded of what John wrote at the very beginning of his Gospel regarding the call of the first disciples — Andrew, John, Peter, and Nathanael. When John and Andrew followed Jesus, Jesus turned, saw them following, and said, “What are you looking for?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” (Jn 1:38). Then, when they brought Simon to the Lord, Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter) (Jn 1:42).
We, too, must ask ourselves the same question: “Who am I looking for?” Unless we ask the right question in life and seek its truth, we will remain unfulfilled. Indeed, while friends can give us great consolation and strength, we know they are imperfect and can fail us. Above all, we must eventually separate when the time comes — whether because of death, illness, old age, or migration.
For this reason, Jesus sought to help Mary Magdalene transcend her natural, human relationship with Him as a man, moving toward a relationship with Him as God. Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and say to them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
Jesus was helping Mary Magdalene go beyond knowing Him merely as a man and an earthly rabbi. He was returning to the Father. With His Ascension, Jesus’ relationship with Mary and the disciples would be lifted to an entirely different level. He would no longer be limited by space, time, or the constraints of earthly life. In His Ascension, Jesus assumed the glory He shared with the Father before the Incarnation. He sits at the right hand of the Father and rules over all. In other words, our relationship with Jesus is transformed.
This new relationship is indicated by how Jesus now addresses His apostles. He instructs Mary to “go and find the brothers.” Jesus explicitly acknowledges His disciples as His brothers. As the author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote: “It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, ‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.'” (Heb 2:10-12)
To confess faith in Jesus today means we are called to meet the transfigured Lord in our brothers and sisters. St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says: “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once knew Christ according to the flesh, we know him that way no longer. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Cor 5:16-17)
When we look at our brothers and sisters, we recognise that Christ lives in them. As He said to Saul, “‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'” (Acts 9:4-5). In the parable of the Last Judgment, Jesus similarly identifies with us: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Mt 25:40). In the resurrected life, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28)
Consequently, a transformed life practically means living out the Passion and Resurrection of Christ by loving and serving our brothers and sisters. This is the ultimate test of a resurrected life in Christ: “The love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” (2 Cor 5:14-15)
Above all, like Mary Magdalene, we are called to announce to others that the Lord is risen within us. Like her, we are called to be apostles.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
