Tell us, Mary: say
what thou didst see upon the way.
– The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
SONG OF SONGS 3:1-4
My Soul's Beloved,
My Lord and my God, like Mary Magdalene, we must seek You with all the fervor of our entire being. Our hearts must yearn for love of You, our souls must thirst for You, our whole mind must be filled with thoughts of You—of who You are and of the unpayable debt we owe You, our Savior and our Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, our most tender Lover and Bridegroom of our soul, all we need to do to find You is to enter into the bridal chamber of our soul in silence. There, withdrawing from the raucous sounds of the world, the garish and seductive passions of the flesh, and the lies of the Enemy, we will find You waiting for us—waiting with the longing of a Spouse who desires nothing more than perfect union with me, a sinner though I am.
Your love for me is unwearied. You love me as I am. You see the person that God our Father created me to be, and You provide all the graces I need by pouring Your own Holy Spirit into my soul. With His help, I can strive—however imperfectly—every moment of every day, to be all that God has created me to be.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Mary Magdalene, once freed from her sinful past, dedicated her whole life to staying close to You, loving You, and remaining grateful for all You did for her. I, on the other hand, continue to sin. I blow hot and cold; I am on fire one moment and cold the next. Pity me, Beloved. You know me better than I know myself—help me. Stay with me, Lord, every moment of every day. Carry me so I will not falter, fail, fall, or be lost. Grateful to You as I am, Lord, help me never to do anything that would cut me off from You, the true Vine.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
The bride says this:
On my bed, at night, I sought him
whom my heart loves.
I sought but did not find him.
So I will rise and go through the City;
in the streets and in the squares
I will seek him whom my heart loves.
I sought but did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me
on their rounds in the City:
‘Have you seen him whom my heart loves?’
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my heart loves.
PSALM 62(63):2-6,8-9
For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.
For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.
For you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.
For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
JOHN 20:1-2,11-18
My Soul's Beloved,
In her grief, in her brokenness, having completely forgotten all You had said about rising again, Mary came at dawn to the tomb. She could not bear separation from You and desired to stay close to You even in death. She found that the stone at the entrance of the tomb had been rolled away. Not knowing what to make of it and believing Your Body had been taken, she ran to tell Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him.
”Returning to the tomb, she remained there weeping, bereft and grief-stricken, for she believed she would never again see You, whom she loved with her whole being, in this life. Still weeping, she approached the tomb, looked inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been—one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put Him.
”Lord Jesus, if we truly hunger and thirst for You, if our souls are on fire with longing for You, we will find You. You are never far from those who desire to belong wholly to You and to remain in You. You will come to us as You came to her. Even though she did not recognize You at once, when You spoke to her, saying, “Woman, why are you weeping?” she replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put Him.”
As she said this, she turned around and saw You standing there, though she did not recognize You. You said, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Supposing You to be the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have taken Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will go and remove Him.” You must have been smiling tenderly at her in Your heart. She loved You. She remained faithful to the end, and she alone, of all the disciples, came early in the morning to keep vigil by Your tomb.
Then You called her by name: “Mary!” And the dawn broke into her life again, filling it with light as she recognized Your dear, beloved voice. She cried out joyfully, “Rabbuni!” and clung to You. You spoke gently to her, saying, “Do not cling to Me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell the brothers: I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” Immediately she did what You commanded. She carried the good news to the disciples, telling them that she had seen the risen Lord.
It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
Meanwhile Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.
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