I sought but did not find him

 Today's readings are about seeking and not finding him.

In the first reading from the Song of Songs, the bride is looking for her spouse "whom my heart loves" but cannot find him.

In the Gospel, Mary of Magdala, whose feast is celebrated today, goes to the tomb where Jesus was buried and cannot find him.

She immediately thinks that somebody took the body away.

She gets reassured only when Jesus reveals himself and calls her by her name, "Mary".

More often than not, we don't find what we are looking for.

Most of the times, the reason could be quite simply because we don't really know what we are looking for.

Sometimes we think we know, or we think what we are looking for is something good for us, while instead it isn't.

Even when we know what we want, and this could be good for us, the object of our search remains far from us.

Something we can point our life to but never reach.

Even when we reach what we think we want and is good for us, this only gives us a temporary solace.

Soon enough, we will move on and focus on the next goal, forgetting what we have just achieved.

In all of this, the effort made sometimes brings us down.

Is it really worth it?

I am putting so much effort and getting very little results.

Should I not be better off giving up?

In the first reading, it's not clear whether the bride finds her spouse.

We don't know her thoughts but from what we read she seems desperate to find the one whom she loves.

She goes through the city and ask the watchman.

She does her best to find her lover.

In the Gospel and in a similar fashion, Mary Magdalene runs to tell the other disciples that the Lord was taken from his tomb.

She then goes back to the tomb and sees the two angels.

She asks them about the Lord.

She then sees Jesus himself but doesn't recognize him at first as she thinks he is the gardener.

Mary of Magdala shows the same "desperation" of the bride from the first reading, "desperate" to find the one whom she loves.

She only finds him when Jesus reveals himself to her.

She only finds him when he calls her by her name.

We could say that she only finds him because she was looking for him, even if she didn't know where he was.