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Today we celebrate one of the great saints of the Church, one of the great saints of the Gospel, and also one of the most misunderstood saints. Today we celebrate Mary Magdalene. Even though she's mentioned a dozen times in the Gospels, we really know very little about Mary's life.
Luke and Mark both tell us that Jesus cast out seven demons from her; but what these demons were, what they represented, we simply do not know.
Over the centuries many have identified Mary with the sinful woman described in Luke, chapter 7, she who anointed Jesus at the house of Simon the Pharisee; but there's really little evidence to support this.
Some say she is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, but the Gospel doesn't support this either. And others claim she was a prostitute, but again, there's really no evidence.
Her name indicates she probably came from Magdala, a prosperous fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. And we're almost certain she was unmarried, since married woman were usually identified by their husband's name -- "Mary, wife of Jonah" -- but Mary is identified only by place, by the town of Magdala.
I suspect that, like many of the other women who accompanied Jesus throughout his ministry, she was a woman of means. It wasn't unusual among the Jews at that time for a woman with no brothers to inherit a father's business or property. She may even have been a wealthy widow. We just don't know.
The one thing we do know is that Mary was among Jesus' most devoted disciples.
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| Mary Magdalene and the Risen Jesus |
And so, to be faithful to the gospel, we should emphasize Mary Magdalene as the woman whose faith remained strong when the faith of others failed.
Mary, whose love for Jesus brought her to the tomb early on that first Easter morning.
Mary, whose loyalty to the Lord made her the first witness of His Resurrection.
Mary, whose joy at what she had witnessed made her the first messenger of the Good News.
Mary, whose faith conquered all her fears as she brought God's Word to the Apostles. Little wonder she who was sent out by the Lord is often called the apostle to the Apostles.
Yes, we know very little about Mary's life, but we know about her faithfulness, don't we? And about her courage. And about her love. That is what we know about Mary.
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| Demons Cast Out |
We all know the Word Jesus preached. It's the same Word Mary heard.
"...whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" [Lk 9:24].
"...it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God" [Mt 19:24].
When I was hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or in prison, you weren't there [Mt 25:43-46].
The rich man begged Father Abraham to let the poor beggar bring him a drop of water. [Lk 16:24].
"No one can serve two masters...You cannot serve God and mammon" [Mt 6:24].
"Your sins are forgiven" [Mk 2:5].
"Your faith has saved you. Go in peace" [Lk 7:50].Were those the seven words Mary heard one day long ago in Galilee? Were those the seven words that forced seven horrible demons out of her heart?
...a heart Jesu emptied of all its sinfulness, all its selfishness
...a heart now open to receive Him, to love Him, to follow Him.
We just don't know, do we?
But we do know that Mary underwent a conversion, a conversion so great that she became the very model of faith and loyalty. We know that she was given new life through the healing power of God's love and forgiveness.
Perhaps Jesus appeared to Mary first because He knew she would believe. For Mary had already experienced her own resurrection, had experienced the power of God to heal and forgive, to free her from slavery to those seven demons. Who better to break the news -- the Good News -- to a sinful world?
Mary Magdalene is what every woman and every man is called to be: the sinner who became the saint.
She is living proof of the power of God's redeeming love.
She is the fruit of Christ's Resurrection.
Let us pray today for the same zeal and perseverance.
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