Where Is He?

In John's Gospel, chapter 20, Mary Magdelene is clinging to Jesus outside the empty tomb. He tells her to stop clinging to him, that he has to go to His Father and her Father, to his God and her God. What is this all about? Well, John is highly symbolic in his stories. He believe that God abides within us. This is his theology. Mary is trying to cling to Jesus outside of herself. She is searching for Jesus. By letting go of this outside search, she may be able to realize that he will dwell within her as he returns to God who lives within us. It takes us back to the Garden of Paradise. Our soul is the Paradise where God dwells. So Jesus is truly the gardener who brings the soul to bloom and bear fruit. Our bad behavior is what gets us separated from our interior life. Or we search for fulfillment in outside stuff such as gadgets, people, thrills. Those are never enough as we all come to know, no matter how much we cling to them. Beautiful religious art, buildings, rituals are are all meant to awaken us to the God within. They are not an end in themselves. Even the Bible is a pointer. God is beyond the mind, the visuals. If you are like Mary Magdelene, in tears because you cannot find your God, maybe stop clinging to outside things, even holy things. Be still. Be in some solitude and silence. For some people that would be a weird or different experience. No wonder we cannot enjoy the Divine Presence.