Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
On June 10, 2016, Pope Francis raised the liturgical celebration honoring Saint Mary Magdalene from a memorial to a feast, putting her on par with the Apostles and encouraging her to be referred to as the Apostle of the Apostles.
In the memorial celebration, the Gospel reading from Saint Luke recalls the story of her being delivered from seven devils. She is presented as the penitent who was transformed by repentance and the love of Christ.
In today’s Gospel reading from John, we have the story of the visit to the empty tomb, culminating in her recognizing that the “gardener” is the Risen Lord when he calls her by name. She is sent to the apostles to bring the good news of the Resurrection.
The shift in our understanding highlights Mary Magdalene as one genuinely transformed by the mercy and love of God, which Jesus came to bring to us. She is transformed from a sinner to an evangelizer.
When I began thinking about Mary Magdalen to write this reflection, the hit song from Jesus Christ Superstar came to mind—the story of learning to love and being changed by love.
As we think about Mary’s significance for us, we can seek to imitate her deep love for the Lord; we can ask Our Lord to help us demonstrate our love for him through our loving concern for others, especially the lonely, the needy, the poor.
Prayer:
Risen Lord, help us to learn from Saint Mary Magdalene a deep faith in you and a love for you that inspires us to love as you love, putting others’ needs ahead of ours. Amen.