Apostle of the Apostles

Tomorrow (July 22) we celebrate the memorial of one of the great saints, Mary Magdalene. She was honored to be the first witness of the resurrection and the first to announce the Good News to the other disciples--thus she often is called "The Apostle of the Apostles."

Confusion and legend obscure the facts of her life. We know that she was a faithful follower of Jesus and we think that Jesus drove seven demons from her (Lk 8:2). She, along with other women, supported the ministry of Jesus "out of their resources" (Lk 8:3). With others she went to Jerusalem with Jesus where she remained at the foot of the cross with Jesus' mother and Mary, the wife of Clopas (Jn 19:25).

Early in the morning on the first Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. She eventually encountered a man that she thought was a gardener, but when he said her name she recognized him as the Lord. Embracing Jesus, he said "Stop holding on to me...go to my brothers" (Jn 20:17, New American Bible). Scholars are uncertain as to what happened to Mary Magdalene after the Lord ascended, but there is a tradition that she moved to Ephesus where she lived with Jesus' mother Mary.

There are so many things that I find interesting and inspiring about Saint Mary Magdalene. First, she is one of the few saints that doesn't have a word or two describing her in the calendar (one often sees, for example, "priest and martyr," "virgin," etc. after the name of a saint in the calendar). Perhaps she doesn't need any further clarification. Perhaps we just don't know what to call her!

Secondly, she saw the Risen Lord but did not recognize him until he said her name. Once again, a mystery of Communion is revealed. You'd think she would have recognized him immediately and fallen down to worship in silence...but his voice, inflection, or the familiarity with which he spoke was how the Lord revealed himself to her. And then she went to hug him. Her love was personal, real, intimate. He wasn't a far-off God, but one who knew her name. He was one whom she and others had probably hugged before.

The Risen Lord's response to the hug? The Gospel of John says that he told her to go and tell people about what she saw. This reminds us of the unique relationship Christians have with the Lord...we want to stay and worship, but he calls us to go and proclaim. While Mary Magdalene saw the glorified Lord and proclaimed the Good News, our job is just the opposite: We proclaim with confidence that, as faithful servants, we will see the glorified Lord in his heavenly kingdom.

Father,
your Son first entrusted to Mary Magdalene
the joyful news of his resurrection.
By her prayers and example
may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord
and one day see him in glory.
(Opening Prayer, Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene)