Mary
Magdalene has always been a memorable figure in Scripture, although a
controversial figure at different times throughout history. Some
have referred to Mary Magdalene as a “repentant sinner”, while others have
labeled her a “prostitute”. Last
month, at Pope Francis’ request, the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments elevated the mass on July 22 in her honor
from memorial to feast, putting it on par with the other apostles. A
letter issued by the Vatican noted that this decision calls us to more deeply
reflect on the dignity of women, on the New Evangelization movement, and on the
greatness of the mystery of Divine Mercy. Indeed, as is noted in today’s Gospel, when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb
early in the morning and saw that the stone was rolled away, she became the
first witness to Christ’s resurrection, being the one who task was to share
this good news with the apostles. The
Vatican goes on to state that St Mary Magdalene is an example of a true and
authentic evangelizer, the evangelist who announces the joyful message that is
central to the Easter mystery of our faith. The
great theologian Thomas Aquinas called Mary Magdalene “the apostle of the
apostles for the way she announced Christ’s resurrection to the apostles and to
the world. The
feast of St Mary Magdalene that we celebrate today has the same liturgical rank
as the feasts of the other apostles and of important events in Church history,
such as the Baptism of the Lord, the Conversion of St Paul, and the
Transfiguration. Popular Catholic author Father James Martin applauded this decision, saying
that it was a recognition that was long overdue. Martin noted that the feast of St Mary
Magdalene reminds us of the importance of women in Christ’s ministry during his days on earth, during the days of the Early Church, and in our day as
well. He noted that Mary Magdalene was
the Church on earth between the time of her encounter with the empty tomb and
her proclamation of this news to the apostles, since she was the only one who
understood the full meaning of Christ’s ministry at that moment. Pope
Benedict XVI also had some very profound words regarding Mary Magdalene: “A disciple of Christ is one who, in the
experience of human weakness, has had the humility to ask for his help, has
been healed by him and has set out following closely after him, becoming a
witness of the power of his merciful love that is stronger than sin and death.” St Mary
Magdalene, witness of faith, we unite our prayers with yours.
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