Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
(II Corinthians 5:14-17; John 20:1-2.11-18)
Saint Mary Magdalene followed Jesus from Galilee to
Jerusalem. Because of passages like
today’s gospel, she has been considered one of Jesus’ intimate disciples. One popular novel of a generation ago even portrayed
Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ wife. However,
there is no shred of evidence for this kind of relationship in the New
Testament.
But, of course, Mary did love Jesus dearly. John’s Gospel shows her at the cross with
Jesus’ beloved disciple and his mother.
When she discovered that it was he to whom she was talking in the
garden, she wanted to verify her perception by touching him. However, it was not the time to hold onto
Jesus; it was time to proclaim him to the world. In fact, Jesus tells her to proclaim to his
disciples what she has seen.
After the consecration during Mass, we too profess Jesus’
death and resurrection. We may take a
cue from this gospel passage not to cling to Jesus figuratively by limiting our
devotion to prayer. Rather we should go
out and testify to the risen Lord with our lives. Our patience with others gives this
testimony.
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