Apostle of Hope & Joy
FIRST READING Song of Songs 3:1-4b
GOSPEL: John 20: 1-18
What and how we celebrate Mary Magdalene has to do with June 2016. This is when Pope Francis elevated the "liturgical memorial" for St. Mary Magdalene to a "liturgical feast". Francis said that the new feast should be given equal rank with the feasts of the apostles.
A woman is being placed on an equal level with the apostles…
And what a woman she was …
But that’s part of Jesus’ and Salesian teaching that every human being can become something; that there is so much good in every human being that it only needs to be brought to light.
Unlike the woman in the Song of Songs, Mary Magdalene is not allowed to hold on to the Risen One or remain in the arms of her beloved. Jesus instead immediately entrusts her with the task of being his first apostle and sends her to proclaim the good news of the resurrection to the disciples. Her message to the disciples is: “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18). This message becomes the heart of the proclamation of the Gospel for all believers.
What a woman she was …
If she had remained silent, Mary Magdalene, our sister, our mother in faith—if she had remained silent, out of disappointment and sadness, silent about the miracle of the Resurrection, about life that is stronger than death—if she had fallen silent, the witness of the Resurrection, out of shame and shyness, out of doubt and fear of others – if Mary Magdalene had remained silent, we would be very poor in hope and joy.
Mary Magdalene shows us at least three essential dimensions of our Oblate ministry:
The dimension of seeking: Mary at the tomb (like the bride in the Song of Songs) seeks the beloved in the night, on the streets, everywhere. We, too, are seekers – not only in our personal life of faith, but also as men and women who help people find Christ. In a time when many have lost faith, we are called to remain seekers ourselves, and to accompany others in their search.
The dimension of faithfulness: Mary Magdalene does not leave the tomb, even when the disciples have already gone. She remains in sorrow, in uncertainty, in the darkness of Holy Saturday. Our religious vocation demands this same faithfulness – not only in the highlights of our ministry, but precisely in moments of dryness, discouragement, and apparent failure.
The dimension of mission: "Go to my brothers and tell them" – Mary Magdalene becomes the first herald of the Resurrection. A woman! As Oblates, we too are above all messengers of this Easter message. It is not our knowledge or our theology that makes us credible witnesses, but our personal encounter with the Risen One.
We pray:
Lord, we thank you for all people, who show us the way to you, for all who nourish our trust in you, for all with whom we are connected, here in this room as well. Lord, hear us.
We express sorrow to you: so many still neglect the faith and message of women today. So many churches still exclude women from their ministries. Lord, hear us.
We pray for all who seek you, who seek for the divine in their ordinary life. Lord, hear us.
Fr. Josef Koeltringer, OSFS
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales German Province
