Mary Magdalene

Today is the Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene. She was a devoted disciple of Christ. “Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” (Luke 8:2) 

One of the first things noticed in the gospels about Jesus' attitude toward women is that he taught them the Gospel, the meaning of the Scriptures, and religious truths in general. When it is recalled that in Judaism it was considered improper, and even "obscene," to teach women the Scriptures, this action of Jesus was an extraordinary deliberate decision to break with a custom invidious to women. Moreover, women became disciples of Jesus, not only in the sense of learning from Him, but also in the sense of following Him in His travels and ministering to Him. The significance of this phenomenon of women following Jesus about, learning from and ministering to Him, can be properly appreciated when it is recalled that not only were women not to read or study the Scriptures, but in the more observant settings they were not even to leave their household, whether as a daughter, a sole wife, or a member of a harem. (Leonard Swidler)

Mary Magdalene was also present at the foot of the cross during the crucifixion of Jesus (John 19:25) and she is the first to see the risen Lord (John 20:15-18). At first she did not recognize Jesus in his resurrected body, but he only had to say one word, “Mary” and she knew it was him. The disciples on the road to Emmaus walked for miles and recognized Jesus only after he was with them “at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:13-31) At the Sea of Tiberias, the disciples fished for a long time and conversed with Jesus at some length and still did not realize it was him until he told them to cast their net to the right side of their boat and their nets were so full they were at risk of tearing. (John 21:1-7)

Mary Magdalene’s intimate relationship with Jesus was one of devotion and love. She is an example to all of us of how to live as a true disciple. She was grateful for her healing and followed him; learning from him how to live as a true disciple. She remained at his side through his death, not denying that she was one of his disciples; not turning her back on him as we sometimes do to one another when things are difficult or make us uncomfortable. She was rewarded by being the first person to whom our Lord chose to appear and was the messenger of Christ‘s resurrection to the Apostles. I would love to talk to her, to find out what it was like to be with Jesus, to have her demons driven out of her and receive complete healing; to know what it was like to learn from him first hand and how her heart rejoiced at seeing his resurrected body.