The Pure See God

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.

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How often are we tempted? Or are we too permissive that we don't try to stop it and just let the temptation be translated into sin?

These are questions precisely going around my head for quite a while today. It appears that I am still human enough that my inner devils are attacking me and my drive to achieve Christ's holiness.

Mary Magdalene was one disciple of Christ who was quite different yet very much similar to us. We may not have a past like that of Mary Magdalene--being the prostitute and vessel of seven demons as she was--but she has encountered and defeated temptations and struggles throughout her life in her journey of following Christ. None of these triumphs would have been successful without the Lord. And in the end, she may well have exclaimed: "I have seen the Lord!"

This reminds us of how Jesus rewards those who maintain their purity: they shall see God.

Mary's finding Jesus somehow reminds me of the Christian life, in how we search for Christ, and how we even feel immense sadness that makes us shed tears of despair and longing for God. From time to time God Himself would speak to us, but we would perceive That Someone to be somebody else. But in the end, God's grace allows us to see Him, and in the end, He gives us necessary courage to share our faith with other people.

Dear Mary Magdalene, disciple of Christ, help us to live fully our Christian lives with purity, dignity and holy yearning for God. Amen.

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Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us.

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photo credits:
http://z.about.com/d/atheism/1/0/z/d/MaryMagdaleneTomb.jpg, http://listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ivanov3a-1.jpg