On this the Feast of St. Mary Madalene we reflect on the experience of her encounter with the Risen Lord. When Mary saw the empty tomb, she ran to tell the Apostles. When they came, saw and left, "Mary went and remained standing outside the tomb." She remained because she was still seeking the Lord out of the great love she had for the One who had transformed her life through forgiveness and acceptance. Initially, she sought but did not find, because she was seeking the body of a dead person, not the person alive and risen. But, even so, her love and perseverance was rewarded. The Lord reveals himself to her, though, at first, she thought it was the person who removed the body. As soon as the risen Lord calls her by name, "Mary" the eyes of faith opened her to the reality of the risen Jesus. Immediately, she clung to his feet with joyful tears. But Jesus tells her not to cling to the past, but go and proclaim to the Apostles that he was risen from the dead, as he predicted.  What lessons can we learn? Never stop searching for the Lord. Each new experience will be different from the past ones. But these encounters are not to satisfy us, but to proclaim to others of Jesus' great love and plan for each person, who seek him with their whole hearts.