Daily Readings - Sat Jul 22 2023

First Reading - Song of Solomon 3.1-4a or 2 Corinthians 5.14-17

¹All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him.²I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him.³The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. "Have you seen the one my heart loves?"⁴Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of the one who conceived me.

2 Corinthians

Chapter 5

¹⁴For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.¹⁵And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

John

Chapter 20

¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.¹¹but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb¹²and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.¹³They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"¹⁴"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.¹⁵"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).¹⁷Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"¹⁸Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of seeking, finding, and the profound love that drives us to pursue what is most precious. In the first reading from the Song of Solomon, we hear the voice of the bride, who, with deep longing and determination, searches for her beloved throughout the city. Her persistence ultimately leads her to find him, and she clings to him, refusing to let him go. This poetic passage is often seen as an allegory for the soul’s quest for God, highlighting the intensity of love and the joy of union. In the Gospel, we encounter Mary Magdalene, who also seeks the one she loves—Jesus. Her journey takes her to the tomb early in the morning, where she discovers that the stone has been rolled away. Overcome with grief and confusion, she encounters the risen Lord, though she does not immediately recognize him. Jesus reveals himself to her, calling her by name, and commissions her to share the news of his resurrection with the disciples. Mary’s story reminds us that our search for God is not in vain; even in moments of darkness and uncertainty, God reveals himself to those who seek him with an open and faithful heart. Both readings remind us that the Christian life is one of seeking and finding. Like the bride in the Song of Solomon, we are called to pursue God with passion and perseverance. Like Mary Magdalene, we must be willing to look beyond our initial expectations and trust that God will reveal himself to us in ways we may not anticipate. As we go about our daily lives, let us remember that our ultimate fulfillment lies in our relationship with God. May we seek him with courage and faith, trusting that he will meet us in unexpected ways, and may we cling to him as Mary did, holding fast to the gift of his presence in our lives.