Acts 2:36-41 / John 20:11-18
Whatever race or whatever dialect group we belong to, we all
have learnt a language from our earliest days.
That language, we call the mother tongue.
We may have learned other languages along the way, but we
will not forget our mother tongue.
Because the mother tongue creates a very intimate resonance
within us.
It is used to tell us that we are loved; we use it to
express love.
When Mary Magdalene addressed Jesus as "Rabbuni"
the gospel makes it a special note that she said it in Hebrew.
In such an intimate moment, she used Hebrew, which was
probably her mother tongue, to express her love for Jesus.
Because more than just being the mother tongue, it is also
the language of the heart.
In the 1st reading, when Peter spoke to the Jews, he also
spoke from the heart, and that was why they were convinced.
From his heart, Peter addressed Jesus as Lord and Christ.
For us, over and above our devotional practices and beliefs,
we too must have an intimate relationship with Jesus.
We too, like Mary Magdalene and Peter, must address Jesus by
an intimate name with a language which is from the heart.
Because it was God who first called us by a special name,
even when we were in our mother's womb.
God has called out to us in love and called us by name. May
we respond to God with all our love and help others speak the language of love.