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First Reading: Song of Songs 3:1-4b
The Bride says:
On my bed at night I sought him
whom my heart loves–
I sought him but I did not find him.
I will rise then and go about the city;
in the streets and crossings I will seek
Him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but I did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me,
as they made their rounds of the city:
Have you seen him whom my heart loves?
I had hardly left them
when I found him whom my heart loves.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R./ My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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.
R./ My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R./ My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R./ My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Gospel Reading: John 20:1-2, 11-18
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.
Introduction
Contrary to popular belief, which is based on a rather late “tradition” in the West only, Mary Magdalene is not the sinful woman described in Luke 7. We know that she was from Magdala and had been cured by the Lord. She became an eager and loving witness to the Lord’s resurrection.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Mary Magdalene sought your Son
with the impetuosity of a person
who loved him deeply
and who was afraid to have lost him.
When she had recognized him,
he made her a witness to his resurrection.
Lord God, help us discover
the presence of your Son
in the people around us
and may they recognize
that Jesus Christ lives in us
now and for ever.
Liturgy of the Word
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these signs of bread and wine
your Son becomes present among us.
Give us the firm conviction
that he is alive among us and in us,
that people may recognize
that it is he who makes our lives meaningful
and worth living.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
we thank you for this eucharistic celebration.
We have shared the table of your Son;
we share his life and love.
God, may we also bear witness
that your Son is risen and alive today.
May our lives reflect the love and joy
that he brought us,
until we enter the joy of your kingdom.
This is what we ask of you today
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
