Monday, February 7, 2011

DAY 8 NOVENA TO ST. MARY MAGDALENE

Day 8 Novena to Ste. Marie Magdalene
"
Risen with Christ to a new life"

Read Opening Prayer from Day 1

Read from the Gospels
     Matthew 28:1-6
     Mark 16:1-6
     Luke 24:1-8
     John 20:1-16

"Meditation"

"After the Sabbath, at sunrise, the holy ones carrying the myrrh, arrived first at the tomb. The shadows of night had not yet disappeared, but already the light of day was appearing. The women wished to perform one last ritual for the deceased: 'Who will roll back the stone' of their hearts and their eyes?

"Mary cries again, like her earlier days in Magadala. Yesterday, she lost her master, who delivered her from the seven demons; here they also took away the body upon which she shed her tears and anointed with perfume. Leaning towards the tomb, she returns, but without conversion of heart. She sees without recognizing. She questions the one she thinks is the gardener: 'Have you seen the one my heart loves?'

"The divine gardener has descended to the garden, from which all creation was made. On the eighth day of the week, the first day of the new Creation, the Christ, the new Adam, meets a new Eve, first witness to the Resurrection, first hearer of Word of the Living One. He identifies himself by calling her name, 'Mary'; like he called Lazarus from the tomb, he called her from her slumber and gave her new life."

Again, reading the four accounts of this portion of the Passion narrative side by side offers some good insights into the story that sometimes do not come up when reading individually. Mary is at the tomb. She is crying. She is dwelling on that she has lost. Consequently she now believes that all that she gained, all the good choices she made, all the blessings that have come to her because she had faith, because she had opened herself up to grace - all these things are gone. And when Jesus is standing there, staring her in the face, she still does not recognize him. Not until she hears her name and realizes that this stranger knows her, now she realizes that what seemed like loss is now all gain. Now she understands what has happened. 

Our own spiritual lives are so often marked by many gains - new insights into grace and faith. And then one day, we are struck with doubt, uncertainty, or events which challenge the growth in our life. I belive that the events in Mary's life are not unusual. Nor are those events which are ups and downs in our lives. If we can continue to reflect on the grace, then the times of doubt can become moments of grace as well. If we can hear Jesus call us by name when the poor or hungry call, then we continue on our road to growth and deeper faith. Mary hears her name and all the graces come flooding back. She is able to get up and do as Jesus asks her - "Go and tell my disciples the Good News that I am risen". That is our task as well. Tell the world the Good News that our Savior is risen for us. Mary is the model for us as that person who realizes that nothing was lost, all was gained. This gave her the courage to give witness to the truth of Jesus' saving life. 

Closing Prayer:

Lord, turn the hearts of your people towards you,
so that we may search for you
as did Mary Magdelene on the resurrection morning.
May we be led by your Spirit
to have the courage to renounce onself,
and to search for true joy.
Through Christ, Our Lord.
AMEN!