One of Bruce Springsteen's most recognizable songs is Hungry Heart. The song tells the story of a man searching for happiness, belonging, and fulfillment.
Beyond Bruces musical talent, it became popular because it touches something universal: every human being has a hungry heart. We all long for love, purpose, peace, and someone who truly knows us.
The question is not whether we are hungry—but where we go to satisfy that hunger.
Today's readings reveal that the deepest hunger of the human heart can only be filled by God. (Before Bruce Springsteen, St. Augustine famously prayed: are hearts are relentless until they rest in thee.”) In the Song of Songs, the bride searches through the night for the one whom her heart loves. She refuses to stop looking until she finds him and embraces him. The Church has long seen this as an image of the soul searching for Christ. Love is never passive. Real love seeks. It perseveres. It longs for communion.
The Psalm echoes that same desire: "O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting." Clearly, this is not simply a religious obligation. It is the cry of someone who knows that nothing else can satisfy the deepest thirst of the human spirit. Then comes the Gospel. Mary Magdalene stands outside the empty tomb weeping. She is searching for Jesus, convinced that someone has taken His body away. Like the bride in the first reading, she is searching for the one she loves. But the Risen Lord is closer than she knows.
Everything changes with one word: "Mary" when Jesus calls her by name. In that instant her sorrow becomes joy, her confusion becomes faith, and her searching comes to an end. She recognizes not merely a voice, but the One who knows her completely and loves her perfectly. And, that is the turning point for every disciple.
For, Christianity is not simply about searching for God; it is about discovering that God has been searching for us first. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep by name. The Risen Christ still calls each of us personally—in prayer, in the Scriptures, in the Eucharist, and in the people He places in our lives.
Our culture offers countless ways to feed our hungry hearts: success, entertainment, possessions, recognition, even constant activity. Yet these things can never satisfy the longing God has placed within us. As St. Augustine poignantly observed, our hearts remain restless until they rest in God.
Mary Magdalene teaches us what to do with that restlessness. Keep seeking Christ. Stay near Him even through our trials and tribulations…listening for His voice. And when He calls your name, respond with the faith and love that transformed Mary Magdelene.
My brother and sisters, every time we come to Mass, the Risen Jesus calls us by name. He invites us not only to believe that He is alive but to encounter Him personally. The One whom our hearts are seeking is here.
And only He…can satisfy the hunger that no one and nothing else can fill.
Father David S. Marcham is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and serves as Vice Postulator and Guild Director of the Cause for Canonization of Venerable Patrick Peyton. Before entering St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, he worked for eleven years as a physical therapist in Boston-area hospitals. Ordained in 2005, Father David was assigned to St. Mary Parish in Franklin, Massachusetts. His involvement in Father Peyton’s Cause began in 2007, when he assisted Father George Lucas, C.S.C., in advancing the Cause for Canonization. Appointed Vice Postulator in 2009, Father David oversees the progress of the Cause, directs the Guild, and promotes devotion to Father Peyton’s legacy of family prayer.
