Readings: 2Cor. 5:14-17, Ps. 63, John 20:1-2.11-18
Rev.
Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia
FROM
SINNER TO SAINT: THE LIFE OF MARY MAGDALENE
Every
human person has a past and a future, the past is gone we cannot change it, but
the future bring hope alive, for in both past and future we make our history a
reality that can change the world. Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mary
Magdalene, a woman whose life history gives hope to sinners and sense of the
past for saints.
Often
Mary Magdalene is referred to as the woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven
demons or the repentant prostitute, whichever one, scriptures and history point
out that Mary Magdalene had been greatly transformed by her faith in Jesus and
her life was changed after her first encounter with Jesus for she abandoned her
past life of sin.
No doubt
that May Magdalene was a serious sinner who ought to had been condemned to die
by those who were also unworthy and sinful before God. But grace of God brought
about the encounter that transformed her life and she was privileged to be the
first to know about the resurrection of Jesus and to also encounter the risen
Lord.
This
is evident in our Gospel passage today, which presents to us the encounter of
Mary Magdalene with the risen Lord. When the apostles have left the tomb, Mary
stayed outside the tomb weeping. In her devotion to Jesus, Mary seeks to learn
where she might find Jesus’ body so that she might take him away, a task that
would be difficult both emotionally and physically. But she was not even
concerned with how she would convey the body from one place to another. She
only believes that Jesus’ body has been dishonored, and she is determined to
see that he is accorded the honor that it deserves.
So,
she remained by the tomb, weeping. Her heart was in earnest to find Jesus. The
angels asked her: why are you weeping? she was just busy trying to find the
corpse of Jesus. But when she turned around and saw Jesus, her heart was filled
with joy and peace. This courageous act of faith brought about her encounter
with the risen Lord.
Thus,
in Mary Magdalene we see a heart that truly repent of her sins and determined
to find Jesus. A heart that truly loves Jesus, a heart that cannot give up the
search for Jesus, a heart that listened and remembered the words of Jesus about
his resurrection. A heart that moves from grave sinner to special Saint through
God’s Mercy.
Dear
friends, as we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, we must learn to let
go of our old sinful way of life and embrace the new life of grace and hope God
is offering us. So, today we are called to imitate her virtues, knowing that
God can use anyone as His instruments if we are ready to embrace Him
irrespective of our past ways of life. For St. Paul tells us in our first
reading that anyone who is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old creation
has passed away, behold the new has come. For Christ died for all so that
living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was
raised to life for our sake.
Therefore,
today, we are called to forget our past sinful life and embrace the Lord. We
are called to seek the Lord with affection and tears. But often times the
clouds and darkness of our sins blind us from recognizing the Lord who is
always very close to us. The truth is that, the Lord’s way of making himself
known to his people is by his word; his word appeals to our souls, speaking to
us in a particular way that is unique to us. Are we ready to embrace the Lord
once again and make our history a reality that will change this sinful world
just like Mary Magdalene?
LET US PRAY: Lord God, like Mary Magdalene our
souls seek to encounter you personally once again, give us the grace and
strength to always be ready to turn away from sin and embrace your word, that
we may personally experience, fill and recognize your presence once again in
our lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.
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