Daily Readings - Mon Jul 22 2024
First Reading - Song of Solomon 3.1-4a or 2 Corinthians 5.14-17
Song of Solomon
1By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.2I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.3The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?4It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
2 Corinthians
14For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
John
1The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.11But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.18Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
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.