Which kiss?

In the gatherings I was invited to attend, the most remembered was the wedding of my friend in Albuquerque. During the entire ceremony, I could not help but notice the couple’s excitement and joy on their faces. After the formal ceremony, the priest who witnessed the wedding told the groom to kiss his bride. That scene was so lovely.

Our Lord Jesus Christ also received kisses, specifically from three different kinds of people.
His first kiss came from a woman named Mary, His mother.

The second kiss came from another woman from Magdala, also named Mary. When she saw Jesus in the house of Simon the Zealot, she knelt down and cried until she could wash the feet of the Lord with her tears. With her long hair, she dried the feet of our Lord and anointed them with perfume. She humbly stooped down and kissed the Lord’s feet.

The third kiss came from a man named Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him in the garden of Olives.

We proclaim our love for Jesus by our kisses to Him.
Do we kiss Him like Mary, His mother, or like Mary Magdalene, the repentant?
Or do we kiss Him like Judas, the Iscariot, the betrayer?

We cannot imitate the kiss of Mary, His mother, because She is sinless, and we are NOT.
We are thus left with the examples of the other two.
Are we going to kiss Jesus like Magdalene, repenting her sins? Or like Judas, the friend who betrayed Him?

In this Lenten season, the Gospel calls us to change our life. The keyword thus, is CONVERSION. This means r-e-p-e-n-t-a-n-c-e.

If you kiss Jesus with a kiss of a repentant woman, then you will see how Jesus will change you. You will see how peace will be restored in your heart. You will see how you can sleep again in the night. You will see how you will be peaceful again in the days of your life.

Let’s have a peaceful observance of the Lenten season!