Homily For Monday Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd July, 2024. The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

 

Readings: 2Cor. 5:14-17, Ps. 63, John 20:1-2.11-18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THE ENCOUNTER THAT TURNS THE LIFE OF A SINNER INTO A SAINT

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 to the 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.

May Magdalene was a great 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 is 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.

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 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?

 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.