Praise be to Jesus!
Even in the heat of summer, I strive to live each day feeling God’s love and trying to reflect His Heart in my life. Now that we’ve passed the Month of the Sacred Heart and entered July, I ask: What kind of journey of faith are we walking, with the Heart of God as our guide? Are you struggling to keep the promises you once made to the Lord? Are your efforts falling short or even collapsing? If so, July offers us a powerful companion on our faith journey: Saint Mary Magdalene, whose life teaches us that even moments of spiritual crisis can become sources of comfort and hope.
Mary Magdalene, one of the prominent figures in Scripture, has been honored since the early Church as the “Apostle to the Apostles” and the first witness to the Resurrection. How did “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out” (Luke 8:2) become such a faithful disciple, living with the Sacred Heart of Jesus? In reflecting on this question, I recognize how her journey mirrors our own, and how we too are called to become witnesses of the Risen Lord.
The Scriptures portray Mary Magdalene as a woman once afflicted by seven demons. If we were in her place, how would we have responded? Would we have given in to despair, blaming God and giving up on life? The truth is, anyone walking through the trials of life and faith will encounter moments of darkness. The journey of falling, repenting, and rising again is never easy. And yet, Mary Magdalene, though she may have fallen into sin repeatedly, longed for a new life. She sought forgiveness. She desired change. That longing led her to a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
Even at the foot of the Cross, at the darkest moment when Jesus was crucified (John 19:25), she remained with Him — a testimony of unwavering love and loyalty. How was this possible? Mary Magdalene had known despair. She had suffered greatly. But she never gave up. She continued to seek God with all her heart. And when she met Jesus, she recognized Him as the One she had been searching for all along. She embraced Him — and the Sacred Heart — deeply within her soul.
Now, through the witness of Mary Magdalene, I invite each of us to ask:
- In what ways are we encountering the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our own lives and faith?
- Are we sharing that encounter with the world and with our neighbors?
If you feel paralyzed by failure or discouraged by your inability to live your faith perfectly, then look to Mary Magdalene — who learned, through God, never to give up.
Let us ask, through her intercession, to become children who radiate the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the world — with hope, with courage, and with love. God’s Heart is a Heart that never gives up. So let us also strive to become hearts that never give up.
Let us truly pray for this — together.
Amen.
Fr. Hanuk Bae, MSC
