Saint Mary Magdalene

Apostle to the Apostles
(1st century)

Saint Mary Magdalene is one of the most beloved and most discussed figures in the entire New Testament. She appears in all four Gospels as a faithful disciple of Jesus, one of the women who accompanied Him in His public ministry, who stood at the foot of the Cross when the male disciples had fled, who witnessed the burial, and who was the first to encounter the Risen Lord and to announce the Resurrection to the other disciples. For this last reason she has been honoured from the earliest centuries of the Church with the title Apostle to the Apostles.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus had cast seven demons from her, a statement which indicates a history of great suffering and a correspondingly great liberation. She responded to this liberation with a total gift of herself, following Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem and supporting His ministry from her own means. At the Crucifixion she stood near the Cross, sharing the agony of the Mother of God and the Beloved Disciple, when almost all others had abandoned their Lord.

On the morning of the Resurrection she came to the tomb early, before dawn, carrying spices to anoint the body. She found the tomb empty, ran to tell Peter and John, and then remained weeping outside the tomb when they had gone away. It was to her, alone in her grief, that the Risen Christ appeared and spoke her name, Mary, and in that moment she recognised Him and cried out, Rabboni, meaning Teacher. He sent her to announce His Resurrection to the brethren, and thus she became the first proclaimer of the central mystery of the Christian faith.

Western tradition, following the interpretation proposed by Saint Gregory the Great, identified Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany the sister of Lazarus, and with the sinful woman who anointed Jesus's feet in the house of Simon the Pharisee. This identification, now questioned by most scripture scholars, gave her the character in Western devotion of a great penitent, the pattern of repentance and restoration. The Eastern tradition has always kept her separate from these other women. Pope Francis in 2016 raised her feast from the rank of commemoration to feast, honouring her dignity as Apostle to the Apostles. Her feast is celebrated on July 22nd.