“Come, my chosen one, and I will set my throne in your heart” (Antiphon from the Common of Virgins).
Love is the great theme, again and again. It’s no wonder, for it was out of love that our Father created, redeemed, and sanctified everything. Love is the greatest thing that gives deep meaning to all that exists. Without love, everything would be “as sounding brass” (1 Cor 13:1). Therefore, if our heavenly Father called us into existence out of love, then love is the most important thing in our lives. If, for the sake of human love, we are ready to organize everything according to it and to commit ourselves for life, how much more must we be ready to do so when we discover divine love. For its sake, we can leave everything behind in order to give ourselves to it without reserve.
However, we have not yet reached the point that today’s passage touches on. Because far greater than our love for God is His love for us. This love shines eminently in St. Mary Magdalene, whom we rightly regard as the prototype of a loving soul and on whose feast day the Church honors her with the antiphon we have heard today.
But incomparably greater is God’s longing for our soul, which He wants to adorn with regal beauty in order to dwell in it eternally. Thus, our Father establishes Himself in a soul that opens its doors to Him. It may be a poor, stained soul that has just been freed from the worst sins by the blood of Christ. In His love, however, our Father no longer sees the sins for which His Son atoned with His life. On the contrary, He rejoices that He can finally enter that soul. How long He had waited for her, and how many times He had knocked on her door! She becomes His chosen one, and He establishes His throne in her. Such is our Father!