DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 22, 2010
MEMORIAL, ST. MARY MAGDALENE
THURSDAY 16TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

SONG OF SONGS 3:1-4
On my bed at night I sought the man who is my sweetheart: I sought but
could not find him! So I shall get up and go through the city; in the
streets and in the squares, I shall seek my sweetheart. I sought but
could not find him! I came upon the watchmen -- those who go on their
rounds in the city: 'Have you seen my sweetheart?' Barely had I passed
them when I found my sweetheart. I caught him, would not let him go,
not till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room where she
conceived me!

JOHN 20:1-2, 11-18
It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been
moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other
disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. 'They have taken the Lord out of
the tomb,' she said, 'and we don't know where they have put him.' But
Mary was standing outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, as she wept,
she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where
the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet.
They said, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' 'They have taken my Lord
away,' she replied, 'and I don't know where they have put him.' As she
said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she
did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are
you weeping? Who are you looking for?' Supposing him to be the
gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where
you have put him, and I will go and remove him.' Jesus said, 'Mary!'
She turned round then and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbuni!' -- which
means Master. Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, because I have
not yet ascended to the Father. But go to the brothers, and tell them:
I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'
So Mary of Magdala told the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord,' and
that he had said these things to her.

REFLECTION
It is not a stretch of the imagination to be in a committed
relationship with someone, to love your family, and to cherish your
friends. When faced with the concept of Christian love however, many
of us aren't on such sure footing. From the Greek, agape is thought to
represent divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional,
and thoughtful love. It is the highest and purest form of love, and it
surpasses all others. It is the kind of love that God has for us, and
the love we strive to return to Him.

Through the readings today, we see that God in His infinite wisdom has
provided means for us to attain agape in terms we can understand. In
the Song of Songs, we see yearning for God parallel to yearning for
our significant others. In the psalm, we affirm that our need for God
is so strong that it affects us both physically and spiritually. The
Gospel shows us that searching for Jesus our Lord is a poignant
emotional experience.

God has made it so easy for us to love Him. Translating our human love
into agape might seem counterintuitive for many of us, but by today's
readings we are assured that loving God is not only a concept, but a
very tangible reality.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Julie and Glenn Manzon, Glenda Bisco
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, Mon Torres
- See Yung Hui
- Alfonso Purugganan
- Atty. Anthony Aparte
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Glenn Dale Manzon, John Dale Manzon, Estileta Escamilla and Sandra
Vergara
- J.E.S. and Vic
- Arnold Cabatingan and Maricar
- Mylene Lingad
… in Thanksgiving: Manzon Family, Barayoga Family
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Juanito V. Jutare
- Domingo Barayoga Sr., Lourdes Barayoga, Charlie Castro
- William Go, Carlito Go
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rev. Msgr. Antero Sarmento
- In Memoriam (+): Cristino C. Inocencio
- In Memoriam (+): Julian Uy Jr. (Oct 5, 1945-Jul 22, 2002)+
- In Memoriam (+): Jose Maristela (Feb 4, 1916-Jul 22, 1979)+
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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