As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? (Psalm 42: 1-2)

Freud theorized that our fundamental motivation is to reproduce. Nietzche argued that we have a will to power. There are many explanations for our human condition.

I thirst for God. Sometimes I mistake this as a thirst for something else. Human intimacy - both sexual and non-sexual - is analogous to intimacy with God. If I find God and follow God into human intimacy, it can be a pathway to the divine. But if I mistake a potentially helpful analogy for a fundamental reality I will never satisfy my thirst.

In all that I seek, may I first seek the will of God and do my best to commit myself to that underlying relationship.

Today many churches recall the life and ministry of Mary of Magdala, the first witness of the resurrection. Her life has recently experienced an explosion of interest. Two places to begin learning more are www.magdalene.org and the Catholic Encyclopedia.