Celebración de la palabra

Wednesday July 22

Mary Magdalene

THE DISCREET SERVANT

Introduction

In the first reading, we hear how the people of God starts its march to a land of their own where they can serve God in freedom and be the living kingdom of God: the Promised Land. But the journey will be long, slow-paced, marked with sufferings, confusions and hesitations, momentary revolts and betrayals. But God is with them: he does not sleep, says today’s text. For the Hebrews and for us, God stands sentinel in the night.
Jesus is presented today as the servant of God who brings healing to the people without drawing attention to himself: He brings God’s tender care to people. He respects and heals what is little and brittle.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you gave us Jesus, your Son,
as the wise and perfect servant
of you and of the people.
Put your Spirit on us too,
that like him and with him,
we may bring your healing and justice
to the weak and the dispossessed,
without calling attention to ourselves,
that people may see that what we give them
is your tender care as taught us
by Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading 1: 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.

OR 2 COR 5:14-17

Brothers and sisters:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;
even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know him so no longer.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.

Responsorial Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (2) 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.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way?
I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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.

Commentary

No one is more heartbroken at the death of a person than his own mother. At the tragic death of Jesus, Mother Mary was truly heartbroken. “A sword will pierce your heart,” Simeon had prophesied to her long ago. If so, shouldn’t Jesus have chosen his own mother to be the first to receive the good news of his resurrection and see him in person? Why did he then grant this privilege to Mary of Magdala?
It was for the fitness of it that Mary of Nazareth was the one chosen to conceive the divine child, for no one else on earth was a more worthy receptacle than her. However, it is a sinner—one who had plunged deep into the dark abyss of despair and separation from God—who would best appreciate and know in person the promise of the resurrection. By some accounts, Mary of Magdala had been a sinner, and had known the bitter taste of sin. Like the bride in the Song of Songs, she was desperately in need of a groom who would offer her love and new life. Who else other than she would be the worthiest recipient of the good news of the resurrection?

Intercessions

– That we may learn from Jesus to be discreet in our love and service to the poor, we pray:
– That we may learn from Jesus to be very respectful of people and care especially for those wounded in life, we pray:
– That Jesus may give us his Holy Spirit to work for justice and righteousness in our world, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
this bread and wine we bring before you
will become among us
your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Let your and his Spirit rest on us, too,
and let him renew us
as people who live without compromise
the message of justice and love
and the very life of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
you have called us to be brothers and sisters
of Jesus your Son,
and to share in his task
of serving and healing.
Fill us with his compassion
and his discreet and tender love,
that lifts up those broken in life
and those wounded by sin.
Help us to restore people in their human dignity
and to make them aware that they are
sons and daughters you love
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

We have heard God say about Jesus that he is the servant he likes. Jesus makes us servants with him. May we too, be pleasing to God, and may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.