After seeking Him, announcing that we have found Him will bear good fruit in the world
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene on July 22. As we continue to focus on evangelization, she raises an important set of questions.
“I sought him whom my heart loves.” This is what we hear from the Song of Songs during the first reading on her feast day. Then we witness it in the Gospel reading: “Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark.” This raises the first question for us: What do we seek?
An honest assessment of where we spend our time and energy will reveal that “early in the morning, while it is still dark,” most people turn to the news in some form. Let me put that another way: The first thing most people do every day is to let the secular news tell them the story of their day. The fruit of listening to that story is often anxiety, fear and sometimes even outrage.
What if, instead, “early in the morning, while it is still dark,” we opened the Bible — maybe with the Mass readings for the day, maybe reading the Gospels one chapter at a time — and let God tell us the story of our day? Over the long run, the fruit of that practice is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Mary Magdalene sought the Lord. We might do well to figure out how we can imitate her!
After seeking Him, she found Him — the risen Jesus appeared to her. And then, the story of Mary Magdalene ends this way: “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord.’” This raises a second question for us: What do we announce?
Often, what we announce — in word and deed — is something like this: “Look at me! I know better. I won’t be taken in.” All of these things may be true and good. But they tend to be reactive to the story that the world is telling us.
What if, instead, the fundamental thing we announced — in word and deed — was: “I have seen the Lord?” Then we would be responding to the story that the Lord is telling us and trying to tell the world through us.
Mary Magdalene announced: “I have seen the Lord.” We might do well to figure out how we can imitate her.
This week we hear Jesus tell the parable of the sower. At the end of the parable, we hear that the seed that fell on good soil produced fruit 30, and 60, and a hundredfold. This raises a third and final question for us: Do we realize that whatever we sow produces an abundant harvest?
If we sow cynicism, selfishness and presuming the worst about others, it will produce fruit 30, and 60, and a hundredfold. Isn’t that precisely what we see when we read or hear the news?
Likewise, however, if we sow patience and generosity and attentive listening to the Word of God, it will bear fruit 30, and 60, and a hundredfold. That will make the world a different kind of place!
Mary Magdalene sowed some powerful virtues: seeking the Lord, persevering in her search and announcing good news. We have reaped the harvest of her virtues. Let’s keep that in mind and try to imitate her, especially as political campaigns heat up.
