O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. // Psalm 63:2
Orange and pink streaked across the sky as I slipped out of the house, almost bolting to the minivan. As I backed it down the long driveway, a twinge of relief flickered in my heart. I was going to see Him, the one for Whom my heart longed.
Pulling in front of the church, I pulled my chapel veil from my purse and adorned myself to be in the presence of my Lord. Then, finally, I was in the adoration chapel, on my knees. The strain of the day whelmed up in my chest and I let it overflow in a silent, wordless prayer before the Lord. As I poured my heart out before Him, I felt His love filling what I had emptied. A warm, engulfing peace came over me as I gave Him all the cares of my motherhood, my wifehood, and my work. His consolation showed me where my heart is truly at rest, and that is in Him. And through spending time in prayer, my longing for Him increases.
Sister, today is the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, a woman with a desperate love and longing for her Savior. She was the one “from whom seven demons had gone out” (Luke 8:2) at the hands of Jesus, and who was so distraught by His death she went to His tomb while it was still dark. She is overwrought with weeping when His body is missing from the tomb. And when she sees Him alive, she becomes even more desperate; Jesus has to soothe her, to calm her down. Her desire, her pining and thirst for her God, is a model for us all.
Let us pray today to share in her desperate love of God, to share her confidence that He alone will satisfy us. Go back to the First Reading of today (Songs 3:1-4b) or the Psalm Response (Psalm 63) and ask the Lord to foster a longing and pining for Him as your God and your Bridegroom in your heart. Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
Susanna Spencer holds a master's in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the Devotions Editor for Blessed is She. She is a freelance writer and editor and a teacher-in-training living with her philosopher husband and four kids in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology, attending beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious food, and casually following baseball. She is the author of the Gospel Studies including Seek His Kingdom: A Meditation on Matthew , Listen to Him: A Meditation on Mark, and Abide in His Love: A Meditation on John. She was narrator for Found: Advent With the Good Shepherd and Rescued: Lent With the Lamb of God and a contributing author and editor for our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. She was the Theological Editor of the Blessed Conversations Studies. Find out more about her here.
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