Encouragement

Senses Cannot Grasp This Marvel

by Maria Franco
07/27/24
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Mary Magdalene one of the most loyal, committed and whole hearted disciple of Jesus was the first witness to see Jesus in his glory as she hastened on her way to anoint his body with spices in the dark of morn, undeterred by the guards at the tomb and the huge stone covering the tomb.

Her feast is celebrated on 22nd July and she is the patron saint of women,  people who are persecuted for their piety and people who are penitent about their sins.
On this day, the reading from the Old Testament is taken from the Song of Solomon (3:1-4B), "All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. I 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. The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. “Have you seen the one my heart loves?” Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves."
These words are equated with the great love that Mary of Magdala had for her Lord and Master.
While the Gospel reading focuses on the meeting of Mary Magdalene with the Risen Lord, the acclamation poses a very potential question, "Tell us Mary, what did you see on the way? I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb."

She rushes to inform the apostles in hiding about the resurrection as Jesus instructs her to go and tell his brothers that he has risen and to ask them to wait for him in Jerusalem.
But the apostles do not believe her and go to the extent of telling her that it was women's fantasies to which Mary Magdalene retorts in utter disbelief that, "Was the death of Jesus a fantasy?" His torturous suffering which she witnessed first hand at the foot of the Cross with his blessed Mother and John.
She had even helped to place the body of Jesus in his burial tomb.
And maybe this is exactly one of the reasons as to why the Lord appeared first to her, given her total and unconditional love for Jesus.

Today when we adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and sing in veneration to the mystery of the body and blood of Christ in the frail host, truly, senses cannot grasp this marvel!
But this marvel was experienced first hand by Mary Magdalene when Jesus who rose from the death by his own power stood in front of her. She was completely blown off her senses. The enormous feeling of joy which overtook her earlier incomprehension, turned into a permanent joy at the fact that death was conquered by the Lord and we all were going to live eternally with the Risen Lord.

In our present times, people are flocking yet again to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist as the Israelites  flocked behind Jesus when he was in the mortal flesh on this earth.
Today his immortal flesh continues to send out blessings through his acute presence in the host and we all can receive these miraculous blessings because a great price was paid by the Lord over two thousand years ago. At that time, the senses could not grasp the sufferings that he underwent for mankind.
Let us recall his death not just as an historic event but the real shedding of his blood to the last drop.

Tomorrow our senses will not be able to grasp the beauty of Heaven that the Lord has kept ready for the great day.
But Today we should grasp the Love that the Lord has for us. We should live in his love, walk in his love, breathe his love, feel his love, hold his love in our hearts, anoint ourselves with his love, heal ourselves with his love and look forward to our life with him where his Love will be present to us in his actual presence, where we can see him, touch him and cling to him.
Perhaps, we should start looking for his love and on finding it, hold it so tight and right in our hearts that nothing on this earth and in the next life can take us away from the marvel of his love.

Maria Franco