I SOUGHT HIM WHOM MY HEART LOVES

PRAYER PAUSE

Friday 22 July 2016, Mary Magdalene  

I SOUGHT HIM WHOM MY HEART LOVES

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “I sought him whom my heart loves. … I will arise and go through the city. …I will seek him.” (Song of Songs 3:1-4)

Reflection. The Orthodox Church calls Mary “the apostle of the apostles” and Pope Francis now wants us in the Catholic Church to use this title for Mary. All the gospel writers give her prominence. Mark tells us Jesus cast out seven devils from her (16:9), Luke that she accompanied Jesus and the twelve on their journeys (8:3), Matthew that she was at the foot of the Cross and at the burial (27:61) and John that it was to her that Jesus first appeared. There was a longing for God in Mary born of her sense of being forgiven and restored to life by Jesus. She was the silent witness to the contemplative life which would become so central to the Church.

Prayer. Lord, as we give thanks for the life of Mary Magdalene, we ask you to deepen within us the longing for you. Amen