Song of Songs 3 : 1-4 / John 20 : 1-2, 11-18 (2020)
Every now and then, we see in the newspapers a notice about a missing person, with the person's photograph and some details.
Whether the person was eventually found or not, we cannot be certain because very often there are no follow-up reports on the case in the newspapers.
What is certain is that when a loved one is missing, the anxiety is painful and the search is relentless.
Such was the depth of the emotion expressed in the 1st reading in the search for the one whom the heart loves deeply.
It may also express the pain and grief of Mary Magdalene as she looked for the One she loved in the tomb.
And not finding Jesus in tomb, Mary Magdalene searched relentlessly and persistently for Him.
Mary's deep love for Jesus was because it was He who loved her first and healed her of her sufferings and sins.
In life, Mary Magdalene loved Jesus. Even in death she searched for Him in order just to be with Him.
Mary Magdalene is remembered because of her deep love for Jesus and her relentless and persistent search for Jesus when others seemed to have given up.
From our priorities and what we are searching and longing for, we will know how deep our love is for Jesus.
There is this saying for St. Augustine in his book "Confessions" : You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there I searched for you.
God is within us. From within He calls out to us. If we are not listening to Him from within, then we might just be looking for the wrong things.