Daily Catholic Mass Readings for July 22, 2024
First Reading: Song of Solomon 3.1-4a or 2 Corinthians 5.14-17
1Bride: On my bed, throughout the night, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, and did not find him2I will rise up, and I will circle through the city. Through the side streets and thoroughfares, I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, and did not find him3The watchers who guard the city found me: "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?4When I had passed by them a little, I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not release him, until I would bring him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her who bore me
14For the charity of Christ urges us on, in consideration of this: that if one died for all, then all have died15And Christ died for all, so that even those who live might not now live for themselves, but for him who died for them and who rose again16And so, from now on, we know no one according to the flesh. And though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him in this way no longer17So if anyone is a new creature in Christ, what is old has passed away. Behold, all things have been made new
Psalm 63
1A Psalm of David, when he was in the desert of Idumea. O God, my God: to you, I keep vigil until first light. For you, my soul has thirsted, to you my body, in so many ways2By a deserted land, both inaccessible and waterless, so I have appeared in the sanctuary before you, in order to behold your virtue and your glory3For your mercy is better than life itself. It is you my lips will praise4So will I bless you in my life, and I will lift up my hands in your name5Let my soul be filled, as if with marrow and fatness; and my mouth will give praise with exultant lips6When I have remembered you on my bed in the morning, I will meditate on you7For you have been my helper. And I will exult under the cover of your wings8My soul has clung close to you. Your right hand has supported me9Truly, these ones have sought my soul in vain. They will enter into the lower parts of the earth10They will be delivered into the hand of the sword. They will be the portions of foxes11Truly, the king will rejoice in God: all those who swear by him will be praised, because the mouth of those who speak iniquity has been blocked
Gospel: John 20.1, 11-18
1Then on the first Sabbath, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and she saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb11But Mary was standing outside the tomb, weeping. Then, while she was weeping, she bowed down and gazed into the tomb12And she saw two Angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been placed, one at the head, and one at the feet13They say 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 placed him.14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus15Jesus said to her: "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?" Considering that it was the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have moved him, tell me where you have placed him, and I will take him away.16Jesus said to her, "Mary!" And turning, she said to him, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher)17Jesus said to her: "Do not touch me. For I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them: ‘I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God.’ 18Mary Magdalene went, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord, and these are the things that he said to me.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of seeking, finding, and the profound encounter with the divine. In the first reading from the Song of Solomon, we hear the voice of the bride, who, with deep longing, searches for her beloved throughout the city. Her persistence and yearning are not in vain, for she eventually finds him and holds him close, unwilling to let him go. This passage, often interpreted as an allegory for the soul’s search for God, reminds us that our spiritual journey is marked by both longing and union. The bride’s determination to seek her beloved, even in the face of uncertainty, mirrors our own search for meaning and connection with the divine.
In the Gospel, we encounter Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus, her heart heavy with grief. She seeks Jesus, but like the bride in the first reading, she initially does not find him. The tomb is empty, and she is met with the question, “Why are you weeping?” Mary’s tears flow from a place of deep love and loss, but her sorrow is transformed when Jesus reveals himself to her. The moment she hears her name, “Mary,” spoken by the risen Lord, her grief turns to joy, and she recognizes the one she had been seeking. This encounter underscores the reality that our seeking is not in vain; God reveals himself to those who seek him with persistence and love.
These readings remind us that our faith journey is one of seeking and finding, of longing and encounter. Like the bride and Mary Magdalene, we are called to seek God with persistence, even when the path seems uncertain. The moral lesson here is clear: trust in God’s timing and presence. Just as Mary Magdalene found Jesus in the most unexpected way, we, too, will encounter God in our own journeys. Let us approach life with the same determination and love, knowing that our seeking will lead us to the One who seeks us even more.