My heart is with Mary Magdalene in today’s Gospel passage. Having been freed of her demons by Jesus she became one of His faithful followers. How much she loved him. She witnessed his death and his empty tomb. I imagine how alone and sad she felt. Both the angels and Jesus addressed her as “woman”, a sign of respect, but she didn’t recognize them. It wasn’t until Jesus called her by name that she knew who He was.
“Mary.” It’s simple and powerful. I’ve heard it said that the sound of our name is one of the sweetest sounds we hear. I love that Jesus called her by name. I imagine His voice gently whispering the syllables – Mary. At that moment she knew He saw her because He said her name as He’d done many other times. He called her out of her sinful life into a new one. He called her into relationship with him. Of the hundreds of people He knew, He also knew her.
Sometimes Jesus feels far away. We feel as Mary Magdalene felt, wondering where He is. We feel alone and sad and wish for Him to be close. Because although we try to remember that He is always close, sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. But the truth is we are never alone and He does in fact know our name. Our human minds can’t understand how this is possible but our hearts believe it’s true.
Jesus knows your name. He knows and loves you. He wants you to know He is with you, closer than you can imagine. Jesus calls you by name to bring you out of your sin and into the light of His love, just as He did with Mary Magdalene.
Mi corazón está con María Magdalena en el pasaje del Evangelio de hoy. Tras ser liberada de sus demonios por Jesús, se convirtió en una de sus fieles seguidoras. Cuánto lo amaba. Presenció su muerte y su tumba vacía. Imagino lo sola y triste que se sintió. Tanto los ángeles como Jesús la llamaron “mujer”, en señal de respeto, pero ella no los reconoció. No fue hasta que Jesús la llamó por su nombre que supo quién era.
“María”. Es simple y poderoso. He oído decir que el sonido de nuestro nombre es uno de los sonidos más dulces que escuchamos. Me encanta que Jesús la llamara por su nombre. Imagino su voz susurrando suavemente las sílabas: “María”. En ese momento supo que la veía porque pronunció su nombre como tantas otras veces. La llamó a salir de su vida pecaminosa para iniciar una nueva. La llamó a una relación con él. De los cientos de personas que conocía, también la conocía a ella.
A veces Jesús se siente lejano. Nos sentimos como María Magdalena, preguntándonos dónde está. Nos sentimos solos y tristes, y deseamos que esté cerca. Porque aunque intentamos recordar que siempre está cerca, a veces no lo sentimos así. Pero la verdad es que nunca estamos solos y Él sí sabe nuestro nombre. Nuestra mente humana no puede comprender cómo es posible, pero nuestro corazón cree que es verdad.
Jesús sabe tu nombre. Él te conoce y te ama. Quiere que sepas que está contigo, más cerca de lo que imaginas. Jesús te llama por tu nombre para sacarte del pecado y llevarte a la luz de su amor, tal como lo hizo con María Magdalena.
Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, new.diocesan.com/, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.
Feature Image Credit: Gebhard Fugel, art.diocesan.com/stock-photo/jesus-the-risen-and-mary-magdalene-16658/
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