First Reading - Song of Songs 3:1-4
Gospel - John 20:1-2,11-18
In the first reading, from the Song of Songs, we hear the voice of a woman who cannot sleep. She rises in the night, restless, searching through the city streets for “the one whom my soul loves.” She questions the guards, she walks in the dark, she searches without fear — because her love drives her on. And then, in one beautiful moment, she finds him. The search ends in a quiet joy: “I held him and would not let him go.”
This passage is more than romantic poetry. In the Christian tradition, it has long been read as the soul’s longing for God — and God’s longing to be found. It is about desire for communion, intimacy, and faithful love.
This longing is fulfilled in the Gospel we hear today — the encounter between Mary Magdalene and the risen Christ. Mary comes to the tomb early in the morning, while it is still dark. She comes not expecting resurrection, but to mourn and to honor the body of Jesus. She finds the stone rolled away, the tomb empty, and runs to tell the disciples. Yet her heart is still heavy with grief.
She returns to the tomb and weeps — not just because she cannot find Jesus, but because she loves Him. Her love is like the love in the Song of Songs: persevering, searching, refusing to let go.
And then, in a moment of quiet revelation, Jesus speaks her name: “Mary.” That one word is enough. She recognizes Him — not by sight or argument, but by hearing her name spoken with love. “Rabboni!” she cries — “Teacher!” The one she loves is alive, and her grief is turned into joy.
This is not just Mary’s story. It is the story of every believer. We seek Christ — sometimes in darkness, sometimes in doubt, sometimes in tears. And Christ seeks us. He comes not first with explanations, but with presence. He calls us by name. He waits to be found by those who love Him.
Mary Magdalene is the first witness of the Resurrection — not because she understood everything, but because she loved much. She was not afraid to seek, to weep, to wait. And in that love, she became the first to proclaim: “I have seen the Lord!”
Dear brothers and sisters, our faith begins here — not in perfect knowledge, but in the love that seeks and listens. Christ is not far from us. He is risen. He calls each of us by name. May we, like Mary, open our hearts, respond in love, and become witnesses to the living Lord.
Let us hold on to Him and never let go.
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