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Saint Mary Magdalene

Love is the strongest force that exists.  Anyone who is not sure of that has not loved much.  But love is not only powerful when it is being experienced in its unitive dimension: it is even more powerful in separation.  Longing is produced in the heart whose love is unrequited.  When this longing is mere passion, it will eventually fade – but when it is rooted in something deeper and more spiritual it will never be destroyed.

Jesus comes to us in the flesh and kindles in our hearts a deep longing.  He does not come to satisfy some passing craving of our heart, instead, after uniting with us He separates Himself.  “It is good for you that I go.”  “Do not touch me.”  The heart that has experienced the flicker of divine love will be constantly reminded of their longing and dissatisfaction with this present world.  All attempts to ignore the deeper longing and replace it with something passing result in frustration and anxiety.  Perhaps this is Jesus’ meaning for Mary Magdalene: the part of your heart that is drawn, that loves and longs for Me, aim it beyond the dark veil of earth – My Spirit will be in you to guide your heart to the other side. read more

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Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

AUGUSTINE:

Martha was busy satisfying the needs of those who were hungry and thirsty. With deep concern, she prepared what the Holy of Holies and his saints would eat and drink in her house. It was an important but transitory work. It will not always be necessary to eat and drink, will it? When we cling to the most pure and perfect Goodness, serving will not be a necessity.

JOHN CASSIAN:

To cling always to God and to the things of God—this must be our major effort, this must be the road that the heart follows unswervingly. Any diversion, however impressive, must be regarded as secondary, low-grade and certainly dangerous. Martha and Mary provide a most beautiful scriptural paradigm of this outlook and of this mode of activity. In looking after the Lord and his disciples, Martha did a very holy service. Mary, however, was intent on the spiritual teaching of Jesus, and she stayed by his feet, which she kissed and anointed with the oil of her good faith.… In saying “Mary chose the good portion,” he was saying nothing about Martha, and in no way was he giving the appearance of criticizing her. Still, by praising Mary he was saying that the other was a step below her. Again, by saying “it will not be taken away from her,” he was showing that Martha’s role could be taken away from her, since the service of the body can only last as long as the human being is there, whereas the zeal of Mary can never end. read more

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Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

The one who bears our burdens with us and for us is not weak at all.  He is the Almighty, and can suffer no change in what He is.  When we suffer, we may experience anxiety at the kind of change we experience.  Suffering reminds us that we are susceptible to destructive change, so, naturally, we do not seek it out.  God wants to encourage us through what we suffer – He has sent Jesus to bear with us the trials of life.  Jesus did not endure these trials in an apparently invincible way – He seems to be defeated by them until He manifests the resurrection.  Whatever we may suffer, Jesus bears it with us, it is only for a time.  He does not command us to bear our sufferings as though they cause us no distress – Jesus Himself showed signs of distress when He suffered.  But He invites us, through suffering, to grow in gentleness and humility.  Since Divinity cannot be altered by suffering, we see revealed in Jesus how suffering actually transforms our humanity into something divine.  The secret is not to discover how to eliminate or avoid all suffering, but to learn from Jesus – in the midst of our sufferings – compassion and humility. read more