Every July 22, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, a close disciple of the Lord. She was originally from Magdala, a town located on the western shore of Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), which is why she received the nickname “Magdalene.”
Easter Messenger
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
Mary Magdalene closely followed the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, who chose her to be a witness of his Resurrection, even before the apostles. She was commissioned to bear witness to what her eyes had seen: the Master’s definitive victory over death.
That particular call to her discipleship makes Saint Mary Magdalene a model for all who are called to evangelize. She embodies the figure of the one who announces the joyful message of Easter: there is, for everyone, a new life in Christ.
Pope Benedict XVI, in 2006, precisely summarized the relevance of Saint Mary Magdalene for Christian life: “The story of Mary of Magdala reminds everyone of a fundamental truth: a disciple of Christ is one who, in the experience of weakness human being, has had the humility to ask him for help, has been healed by him, and has followed him closely, becoming a witness to the power of his merciful love, which is stronger than sin and death.”
Firm and faithful disciple
The Gospel is full of references to Mary Magdalene: as the forgiven sinner (Lk 7, 37-50); as one of the women who followed the Lord (Jn 20, 10-18); like Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus (Lk. 10, 38-42). The Roman liturgy identifies the three women with the name of Mary Magdalene, following the Western tradition that comes from the times of Pope Saint Gregory the Great (6th century – beginning of the 7th century).
The ‘Magdalene’ accompanied Jesus even to Calvary and stood in front of his recumbent body. On the morning of Easter Sunday, she was the first to see the resurrected Christ, in glorious body. Consequently, the Church has always recognized the importance that it had in the life of the Savior and in the experience of the first Christian community, as is evident in the Gospel narratives.
“To whom little is forgiven, he shows little love” (Lk 7, 47)
Whenever one returns to the life of this saint, an encounter with the mystery of God’s infinite mercy is inevitable. She, before knowing Jesus, had made her life a loss and her perdition – Mary’s soul was wounded, and she did not even know her own value as a person – hers.
After knowing the Lord, the opposite happens. He reveals to her the ultimate meaning of his existence and the greatness of his dignity. Therefore, the conversion of Mary Magdalene is an example of the transformative power of forgiveness and grace, capable of providing a ‘new life’, free from the power of sin and its terrible consequences. Divine forgiveness has the power to rebuild what was broken, and allows the birth of a ‘new man’, a new person, who lives and announces Love.
In the liturgy today
On June 10, 2016, Cardinal Robert Sarah, then Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, issued a decree in which, following the will of Pope Francis, the liturgical ‘memory’ of Saint Mary Magdalena was elevated to the rank of ‘party’.
…
If you want to know more about Saint Mary Magdalene, you can read this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Santa_María_Magdalena.
More information:
Central Editorial
The Catholic Information Agency – ACI Prensa, is part of the news agencies of the ACI Group, one of the largest generators of Catholic news content in five languages and which has belonged since June 2014 to the EWTN Global Catholic Network family, the largest Catholic television network in the world, founded in 1981 by Mother Angelica in Irondale, Alabama (United States), and which reaches more than 85 million homes in 110 countries and 16 territories.