St. Mary Magdalene--July 22

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"…but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

St. Mary Magdelene is one of the most misunderstood people in the Bible. What we do know for sure is this: Mary was from the town of Magdala on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. At one point in her life she had been delivered from seven demons. She financially supported the work of Jesus and the Twelve from her own means. She was a witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus and carried that news to the Twelve.
The truth about her life is not as salacious, and so, perhaps, not as interesting as we thought, but nevertheless, significant.

St. Mary Magdelene is a wonderful example of the power of Jesus Christ to transform human lives--even lives that seem broken beyond repair. While we don’t know how the demonic influence manifested itself in Mary’s life, we do know that Satan and his angels were no match for Jesus. Rescued from the power of Satan by Jesus, Mary became His devoted disciple and a valued co-worker in the Kingdom.

She courageously remained with her Lord at his crucifixion (when the disciples hid in fear!) and she was blessed to have been one of the first witnesses to Christ’s resurrection which she boldly proclaimed to others without fear of ridicule.
There is much we can learn from her life and put into practice in our own life: the faith to believe that with God all things are possible—the willingness to share our wealth for the sake of the Gospel—the courage to boldly witness to the Good News of Christ crucified and risen from the dead.

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.