What is your love story?

Nanay and Tatay, what is your love story?

Most of the time,

we are interested in listening to a love story,
 whether a story from a soap opera,
 from a movie,
 or sometimes even a real love story.

It brings a different feeling.

It leads us to romantic excitement. “KILIG” in tagalog.

This is how we can summarize the readings for today. A LOVE STORY.
Because today is a day of Love.
Today, we will witness the renewal of Marriage vow of Nanay and Tatay that they
made 50 years ago
as we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene a model of
ardent,
faithful, and
reverent love,

a love that does not know

and does not want to be far from the One who loves her
and gave up his life for all of us.

Our first reading from the book of the Song of Songs, is a love story
not only enshrines the love between man and woman but
above all, the symbolic expression of God’s love for his people.

The Gospel is a love story where we can say

Mary Magdalene’s ardent seeking of Christ is a manifestation
of her love for Christ - whom her heart loves.
With her ardent love for Jesus, remains faithful even after the Calvary tragedy.
She ‘stubbornly’ seeks him out,
and even the empty tomb does not discourage her
as we see in today’s gospel reading.

Mary Magdalene is a symbol of all the souls that seek Christ,

knowing that she has nothing to offer but tears of love.

Similarly, this is also the love story of Nanay and Tatay,

this is what they can tell us about their love story.

Their story is not just pure “Kilig” moments.

They experience many hardships,
many problems,
many quarrels and misunderstandings.

Maybe many young lovers will be less attracted to.

It is far from the romantic dreams of young lovers, far more than their expection
that love is purely happy circumstances.
Maybe this kind of love is celebrated less
with the ambition of young lovers wishing to conquer the world
with the poetry of their love.

But Nanay and Tatay’s love story is the loving reality of two people
who over 50 years have been through, and have stayed together,
through thick and thin.

Natural affections and preferences are not love,

though they may sometimes be accessories.
Sometimes they help and support love, and that is a happy circumstance.
But sometimes they obstruct and distort it; and
sometimes love requires that our affections and desires be crucified:
because, far from seeking the eternal good,
they are subjective and self-seeking.

Nanay and Tatay’s love story is centered in the celebration

of gratitude of old lovers,
each conscious of their vulnerabilities and sinfulness,
 each knowing that in times of trouble, temptation, and crisis,
they will love one another, and
there was God’s presence and God’s love turned toward them beyond
deserving.

The invitation for us today, is Don’t love

 because there is a Kilig moment,
 because you need him or her,
 because he or she is good to you,
 because he or she is cute, rich popular, and powerful.

Love is far more than an attraction and self-gain.

Let us love more than our life.

My dear brothers and sisters, this is what Christ shows us,

That he loves us even if the price is his own life, no more no less.

The true lover can say: I will love you always…., no matter what…..
I will love you always…., even if……………
I will love you always…., whatever happens…..
Whatever happens to me….
Whatever happens to you….
Whatever happens tomorrow….

As we continue this celebration,

let us do God’s commandment to “Love one another, as I have loved you.”
Love our neighbor unconditionally,
as Nanay and Tatay did for 50 years.

Let us make our own love story,

Let us love like Mary Magdalene,

And may our hearts continually long, thirst, and pine for God like a dry,
weary land without water until we rest in God.