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The Reading of today relates to the conversation I’m having too frequently these days – too many friends and colleagues are either ill or dying. My friends and I are attending many Memorial Services and Masses, writing letters and cards to remaining family members and telling them stories they might not have known, and spending time with each other and telling stories to each other of what these deceased friends and colleagues meant in our lives – and, in the life of the universe. Therefore, as I reflect on the Reading, I take comfort from the compassion message that is deep in this Reading. In the physical end on this earth, we can count on God’s compassion. There are many reflections I take from the Gospel. I could write on the first century cultural incongruency of a woman being the important message giver. Or, I could write about the difficulty in recognizing Christ – then, and now. Instead, I will write about the panic that Mary must have experienced. And, most of us can relate to that experience – a feeling of panic when the child we were watching was just by our side, or the person who does not show up at an appointed time. Or you add your own memory of not being able to locate a person important in your life. I have several such memories in my life. And, I relate to what Mary did – she cried, she asked questions of nearby people, she made observations, and, she cared deeply. How peaceful she must have been once she realized Christ was with her! On a very personal level, we can also relate to this story and our personal memories – how our anxieties were decreased once we found the person we were missing. The peace that Mary experienced can also be ours. |