Wednesday, July 22, 2026

 

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

(Song of Songs 3:1-4b; John 20:1-2.11-18)

The word “apostle” is derived from the Greek apostolos which means “one sent forth.” Today we celebrate St. Mary Magdalene, who, in a sense, was the first apostle.  She was the first person Jesus sent forth to announce his resurrection from the dead.

According to Luke’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene along with other women accompanied Jesus and his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem.  That she was a reformed prostitute is doubtful although she had a serious malady -- perhaps demonic possession as it is considered today -- of which Jesus healed her.  She became his friend as evidenced by her standing at the cross.  She watched him die along with Jesus’ mother, one or two other women, and the “Beloved Disciple.”

Mary Magdalene has become a model for all Christians.  Nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus call Mary to follow him like he does Peter and Matthew.  Evidently, she pursued a prompting of the heart to accompany him.  Like her, then, Jesus heals all of us -- men and women, clergy and lay -- of our sins in Baptism.  Also like her, we follow Jesus as the source of our spiritual life.  Finally, like Mary Magdalene, we announce the Lord’s resurrection by our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for what is true and loving.

 

Monday, July 22, 2024

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. 

Friday, September 16, 2022

 

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, and martyrs

(I Corinthians 15:15:12-20; Luke 8:1-3)

Sometimes there is posted on a church door the sign, “Alcoholics Anonymous meets here.  There couldn’t be a more appropriate place for this kind of group to meet.  Alcoholics Anonymous harbors people from whom a kind of demon has gone out.  To be sure, one attending an AA meeting would not claim to be cured of alcoholism, but the person no longer acts out in ways that “before caused so much damage.  In today’s gospel we find another one who was possessed of a demon but now finds relief in church company.

Mary Magdalene is often said to have been a prostitute because she is assumed to be the “sinful woman” who appears in the gospel episode preceding today’s passage.  There is no real basis for the claim.  In fact, Luke, the evangelist, probably lays the stories of the two women side by side to indicate that all kinds of women find peace with Jesus.  Well thought of women as well as former sinners come to him.  He rejects no one although, of course, seeks a new righteousness from everyone.

We too are a motley lot wherever we go to church.  Some of us have sullied histories.  Others have been able to avoid serious sin.  We all can rejoice to be with the Lord.  He not only forgives our sins but assures us of his eternal peace.

Friday, July 22, 2022

 Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

(II Corinthians 5:14-17; John 20:1-2.11-18)

Padre Santiago Martin is a Spanish priest who every weekend comments on Church affairs in a YouTube video.  Recently he commented that some in the Church want to reinterpret its tradition.  Fr. Martin said that some “tradition breakers” say that Jesus is not God but a great prophet like Martin Luther King or Mohandas Gandhi.  Today’s gospel belies such an interpretation.

Mary Magdalene goes to Jesus’ tomb thinking that Jesus is dead.  She sees him as a great prophet who was crushed by the Jewish-Roman power structure.  Then Jesus confronts her with the reality of his resurrection from the dead.  He also commissions her to be the first person to proclaim his resurrection to others.  Jesus shows her that he is not another prophet but the living Son of God.  St. Paul testifies to the same truth in the first reading.  He tells the Corinthians that even those who knew Jesus in the flesh must now see him as something very different. The resurrection has revealed Jesus definitively as the eternal Son of God.

Mary Magdalene has become a model for all Christians.  We may wonder if Jesus was just a great prophet to be heeded as far as his message applies to our times.  But then the truth of the gospel confronts us.  We too are charged to tell others that Jesus has risen from the dead.  He is God’s eternal Son whose teaching will endure forever.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

(II Corinthians 5: 14-17; John 20:1-2.11-18)

A man writes of his former aversion to jigsaw puzzles.  He thought of them as vain pursuits.  It seemed to him that too much time was being wasted on the amorphous background.  In contrast relatively little time was spent piecing together the central images.  Then watching his daughter one day working on a puzzle, he had an inspiration.  The jigsaw puzzle, he thought, is like God’s creation of human beings.  Everyone has their importance.  Just as without the background the central figures would lose perspective, so it is with God’s children.  Everyone is a piece of the puzzle that adds to the panorama.  For the writer it was a new way of seeing.  It is like Mary’s inspiration in today’s gospel and Paul’s revelation in the first reading.

Paul writes of how he sees no one according to the flesh anymore but according to the Spirit.  He means that he regards no one as a rival or an enemy any longer.  Gifted with the Holy Spirit, Paul can see in others a true image of God to be respected, even loved.  Mary Magdalene comes to a similar realization as she discerns Jesus in one who looks like the gardener.  Graced with the Spirit, she sees that Jesus has risen from the dead.

Grace enables us to see in a new way.  It allows us to recognize a sister or brother in the homeless and even in the arrogant.  It bids us to help the stranger and to be patient with critics.  Grace is more than heightened consciousness.  It actually moves us interiorly to love without worry or regret.  It changes our lives as it did for both Paul and the Magdalene. 

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

(II Corinthians 5:14-17; John 20:1-2.11-18)

Like that of St. Francis of Assisi, the life of St. Mary Magdalene has been greatly romanticized.  Moderns like to picture Francis as a rebellious youth who formed a hippie-like commune.  They see him leading his followers in a non-conformist life of peace and love.  Historians find the real Francis more religious in sentiment and more intent on faithfulness to the institutional Church.

Mary Magdalene has long been considered a sinner – even a prostitute -- and more recently as the wife of Jesus.  Again, scholars find her story less dramatic.  Jesus does cast out seven demons from her, but she is more notable for her faithfulness than for her affection.  She stands by Jesus when he is crucified and is the first to visit his tomb after the Sabbath following his death.  She also is the first person to announce his resurrection.

We can have a similar relationship with Jesus as Mary.  It entails accompanying Jesus by taking to heart the gospel and ingesting him in the Eucharist.  It includes telling others about how his words and his love have transformed us.  We should not minimize the positive effect that this relationship will have.  It will build a happiness without end or limit.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

(Song of Songs 3:1-4b; John 20:1-2.11-18)

Of Gods and Men is a movie about contemporary martyrs in Algeria.  In one poignant a young woman asks her monk-doctor what love is like.  He replies that it is “an attraction, a desire, a quickening of the spirits, an intensification of life itself.” The monk admits that he had fallen in love a number of times.  Why didn’t he ever marry?  He says that he met a greater love that led him to the monastery.  Something like this may be said of Jesus.

Mary Magdalene is sometimes portrayed as Jesus’ lover and even his wife.  There is no basis for these claims either in Scripture or in any other reliable source of antiquity.  However, today’s gospel indicates Mary’s physical attraction to him.  Yet, like the monk-doctor, Jesus knows a greater love - the love for his Father - which led him to the cross.  Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene did not spend her time pining the loss of Jesus.  Rather she announced his resurrection into glory.

Mary Magdalene can help us appreciate our own sexuality.  Just because we are attracted to someone should not allow us to harbor erotic desires.  As Mary with Jesus we cannot cling to these desires except, of course, for the one we will make our life’s partner.  Clinging to that person should even lead us to the Lord Jesus.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

(Song of Songs 3:1-4b; John 20:1-2.11-18)

The Dominicans, the Order of Preachers, for centuries have honored St. Mary Magdalene as one of their patrons.  Their motive has been the same that recently moved Pope Francis to raise her memorial day to a full-fledged feast.  As the Dominicans see themselves sent to proclaim the gospel, they take after Mary Magdalene whom Jesus dispatches to his apostles with the news of his resurrection.  

Dominicans should strive to imitate Mary Magdalene’s love for the Lord as well.  Luke will name her first among the women who accompany Jesus and his disciples in their mission of preaching the Kingdom.  In John’s gospel, Mary stands at the foot of the cross and goes alone to his grave.  She not only esteems Jesus’ goodness but also possesses the valor to be identified with him.

Mary really serves as a model for all Christians.  All of us, as again Luke describes her, have been exorcised of the demons of rebelliousness and self-righteousness.  All of us are called to follow Jesus which will only move us to love him more.  All of us are urged to proclaim Jesus’ new life, which is ours, by acts of selfless love.  

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

(Exodus 16:1-5.9-16; John 20:1-2.11-18)

In one of the most touching scenes in literature Hector, the Trojan prince, visits his family before going off to battle.  His wife takes his hand and implores him to stay with them rather than back to war.  But Hector’s sense of duty compels him to fight on.  Today’s gospel showing Mary Magdalene’s clinging to Jesus parallels the passion of the ancient Greek drama.

Jesus’ words to Mary, “Stop holding on to me,” indicate both Mary’s affection for the Lord and also her incomplete understanding of his resurrection.  He has overcome death, but he will not return to his disciples as a permanent, enfleshed companion.  Rather he will ascend to his Father so that they may receive the Holy Spirit.  Recognizing this truth, Mary dutifully proclaims Jesus’ resurrection.

We too have received the Holy Spirit.  Like Mary we love the Lord and long to touch his incarnate flesh.  But for now, again like Mary, we are content to proclaim his resurrection.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

(Micah 7:14-15.18-20; John 20:1-2.11-18)

When George Harrison sang, “I really want to see you, Lord,” he struck a deep chord within many of us.  We want to see Jesus risen from the dead, verify that our faith is not a pipedream, and know that he is worth the efforts we make to believe.  We are not unlike Mary Magdalene in today’s gospel.

When Mary realizes that it is Jesus she is talking to, she wants to hold onto him.  She is evidently thinking that Jesus, returned to life, will be like he was before – the teacher who lifted his disciples from the trivialities of life to know God’s rich purpose for them.  Jesus must correct her.  The meaning of his resurrection is not a mere physical reunion with his friends, but a spiritual presence to the whole world through his ascension and sending forth of the Spirit.  Then he bestows on Mary the privilege of being the first to announce this message.

We should not dwell long on the desire to see Jesus but prepare ourselves to announce to others the message he gave Mary.  Of course, it may be useless to use words, at least at first, but let us preach with our actions.  Our joy, peace, and charity signal to those who know us that what we believe about Jesus having risen and ascended for our salvation is true.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

(Exodus 20:1-17; John 20:1-2.11-18)

In one of the most touching scenes in world literature Hector, the Trojan prince, visits his family before going off to battle.  His wife and son implore him to stay with them and not risk death in the vain war.  But Hector’s sense of duty compels him forward.  In a sense the gospel today showing Mary Magdalene’s clinging to Jesus parallels the ancient Greek drama.

Jesus’ words to Mary, “Stop holding on to me,” indicate both Mary’s affection for the Lord and also her incomplete understanding of the resurrection of Jesus.  He has overcome death, but he does not return to his disciples as a permanent, enfleshed companion.  Rather he will ascend to his Father so that the Holy Spirit may be sent to institute his followers into God’s family.  When Mary recognizes this truth, she dutifully carries out Jesus’ command to proclaim his resurrection.

The Holy Spirit has raised us also in the divine company.  Like Mary we love the Lord and long to see him enfleshed.  But for now, again like Mary, we are content to proclaim his resurrection by living lives of virtue.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

(Exodus 20:1-17; John 20:1-2.11-18)

In one of the most touching scenes in world literature Hector, the Trojan prince, visits his family before going off to battle. His wife and son implore him to stay with them and not risk death in the vain war. But Hector’s sense of duty compels him forward. In a sense the gospel today showing Mary Magdalene’s clinging to Jesus parallels the ancient Greek drama.

Jesus’ words to Mary, “Stop holding on to me,” indicate both Mary’s affection for the Lord and also her incomplete understanding of the resurrection of Jesus. He has overcome death, but he does not return to his disciples as a permanent, enfleshed companion. Rather he will ascend to his Father so that the Holy Spirit may be sent to institute his followers into God’s family. When Mary recognizes this truth, she dutifully carries out Jesus’ command to proclaim his resurrection.

The Holy Spirit has raised us also in the divine company. Like Mary we love the Lord and long to see him enfleshed. But for now, again like Mary, we are content to proclaim his resurrection by living lives of virtue.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 8:1-3)

A famous painting by the French master Georges de La Tour hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. It shows a loosely-clad woman sitting in front of a looking glass in meditative stupor. She is fingering a skull, which sits in front of, and almost blocks from view, a burning candle. “What’s it all about?” she seems to ask herself as she contemplates life and death, herself and Christ, the light.

The painting is called “The Repentant Magdalene,” but this may be a misnomer. That title reflects a popular but unfounded belief that Mary Magdalene was a reformed prostitute. Preachers through the ages have concluded that Mary Magdalene, mentioned for the first time in Luke’s gospel today, is “the sinful woman” who bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears of yesterday’s gospel passage. But today’s gospel only identifies her as the woman “from whom seven demons had gone out.” Demon possession in the New Testament is associated with sickness and hysteria, not moral depravity. Mary Magdalene’s relation to the woman of the previous chapter is likely one of inclusion, that is the evangelist Luke includes the story of the women accompanying Jesus following that of “the sinful woman” to indicate how Jesus attracted different kinds of women as well as men to himself.

But certainly the questions that La Tour’s Magdalene seems to ask are likewise inclusive of all humanity as well. What’s the point of it all? Is our destiny just dry bones that will whither completely in time? Or is Jesus the fire who enlightens our minds today and will empower our resurrection from the dead tomorrow? We Christians know the answers to these questions. Our task is to live their implications in our everyday lives.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Memorial of St. Mary Magdalene

(Jeremiah 2:1-3.7-8.12-13; John 20:1-2.11-18)

The Dominicans, the Order of Preachers, for centuries have honored St. Mary Magdalene as one of their patrons. Their motive is obvious. As they see themselves sent to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, they take after Mary Magdalene whom the resurrected Jesus dispatches to his apostles with the news of his resurrection.

The Dominicans, together with other Christians, can also hope to imitate Mary Magdalene’s love for the Lord. Luke will name her first among the women who accompany Jesus and his disciples in his mission of preaching the Kingdom of God. Even more significantly, Mary stands at the foot of the cross in John’s gospel and goes alone to his grave to mourn his death. She not only esteems his goodness but also possesses the valor to be identified with him, come what may.

Mary serves as a model for all Christians as well because like her, as again Luke tells, the demons of rebelliousness and egotism are being exorcised from us so that we my give ourselves completely to Jesus’ mission.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

(Acts 2:36-41; John 20:11-18)

These days Mary Magdalene is commonly portrayed as involved with Jesus in, for Christians, a scandalous way. However, there is no historical warrant to consider her as Jesus’ wife or concubine. Her relationship to Jesus is like his other associates’ -- one of discipleship.

In today’s gospel passage Mary Magdalene is seen for a second time in John’s resurrection narratives. She previously went to the tomb -- probably with other women although this is not expressly stated -- before dawn and found the stone rolled back which led her to conclude that Jesus’ body had been stolen. After reporting her experience to the other disciples, she returns to the tomb to encounter the risen Lord. Quite typically, Jesus asks a question probing her discipleship: “Whom are you looking for?” Will her response be one of acute interest like the Baptist’s disciples’ at the beginning of the gospel or of hostile suspicion like that of the Roman troops in the garden of the Mount of Olives? When Jesus mentions her name, Mary gives a favorable answer, “Rabbouni,” teacher.

Although Mary has no sexual relationship with Jesus, her discipleship is very much based on love. In the Good Shepherd discourse Jesus said that he knows each of his sheep by name and was ready to lay down his life for them. Now Mary hears Jesus, who has already laid down his life for all his followers, call her by name and can respond with affection. When she returns to the others to report her encounter with the Lord, she becomes the first disciple to proclaim the good news of his resurrection.

Homilette for Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

(Exodus 16:1-5.9-15; John 20:1-2.11-18)

A peculiar painting of the gospel story today was recently featured in a leading Catholic magazine. Although the encounter of Mary Magdalene with Jesus is a favourite subject of Renaissance painters, the one by Lavinia Fontana stands out because it pictures Jesus wearing a gardener’s hat and holding a shovel. The author of the commentary on the painting says that Fontana actually wanted to express how Jesus is a like a gardener who cares for our souls.

He certainly seems to have taken care of Mary’s. Although she is sometimes spoken of as a reformed prostitute, all that is certain of Mary Magdalene’s background comes from Luke’s mentioning that Jesus cast out from her seven demons (Luke 8:2). After that she follows him in the company of other women and his disciples. Almost certainly she is among the women whom, Luke says, witness his death on the cross from afar (Luke 23:49). The evangelist John pictures Mary Magdalene among the women who stand with Jesus’ mother and the beloved disciple at Jesus’ crucifixion and then in our reading today.

As Jesus cared for Mary Magdalene’s soul, he would cultivate ours as well. When we attend to his words in the gospel, he extricates our sins like weeds. When we follow his commands to assist the poor, he plants in us seeds that grow into eternal life. Finally, when we trust in his love, Jesus irrigates us with courage and tranquillity to face the vicissitudes of life.

Homilette for Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

(Acts 2:36-41; John 20:11-18)

A teacher was worried about her job. Economic realities had forced her school district to announce pending cuts of a considerable number of teaching positions. The woman knew that she was competent; indeed, she had received a number of teaching awards. But she was unsure whether her fifteen years of service were enough seniority to survive a brute competition of credentials. The woman prayed and started thinking about how she might cut back her lifestyle in case she was let go. It turned out, however, that she not only retained her job but was given a sizeable raise in salary.

Mary Magdalene’s search for the dead Jesus in the gospel today likewise results in more than she imagined possible. Her devotion to the Lord takes her to his tomb. Evidently she hopes only to be near his remains for in John’s gospel no mention is made of Mary Magdalene’s coming to anoint Jesus nor does it say that she expects the covering stone to be removed. Her faithfulness, however, brings more consolation than she could have ever hoped for. Joy fills her heart as she recognizes her risen Lord.

Life is full of uncertainty and setbacks. As much as we would like to avoid them, we simply cannot. However, we can be faithful to our Lord in these trials with prayer and our best daily efforts. Then, like the teacher in today’s world and Mary Magdalene in the gospel, we too are likely to be surprised by more benefit than we ever thought possible.

Homilette for Friday, September 19, 2008

Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Luke 8:1-3)

A famous painting by the French master Georges de La Tour hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. It shows a loosely-clad woman sitting in front of a looking glass in meditative stupor. She is fingering a skull, which sits in front of, and almost blocks from view, a burning candle. “What’s the point of it all?” she seems to ask herself as she contemplates life and death, herself and Christ, the light.

The painting is called “The Repentant Magdalene” which is probably a misnomer. That title reflects a popular but unfounded belief that Mary Magdalene was a reformed prostitute. Preachers through the ages have concluded that Mary Magdalene, mentioned for the first time in Luke’s gospel today, is “the sinful woman” who bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears of yesterday’s gospel passage. But today’s gospel only identifies her as the woman “from whom seven demons had gone out.” Demon possession in the New Testament is associated with sickness and hysteria, not moral depravity. Mary Magdalene’s relation to the woman of the previous chapter is likely one of inclusion. The evangelist Luke includes the story of the women accompanying Jesus following that of “the sinful woman” to indicate how Jesus attracted different kinds of women as well as men to himself.

But certainly the questions that La Tour’s Magdalene seems to ask are likewise inclusive of all humanity as well. What’s the point of it all? Is our destiny just dry bones that will whither completely in time? Or is Jesus the fire who enlightens our minds today and will empower our resurrection from the dead tomorrow? We Christians know the answers to these questions. Our task is to live their implications in our everyday lives.

Homilette for Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

(John 20:1-2;11-18)

Our secular age pictures Mary Magdalene as a reformed prostitute who becomes Jesus’ girlfriend. The novel The Da Vinci Code even sees her as the mother of Jesus’ child! Christians should be appalled by such ideas. There is no evidence in the gospels to support them. More to the point, they undermine Christian virtue and overlook the Church’s evangelical mission.

Jesus dedicated himself to God, his Father. His virginity did not make him any less human. Indeed, it has signaled to humans the possibility of self-transcendence. Striving to imitate Jesus’ purity of heart, we will not fall victims to our passions. Rather, we will come to love God above all and to love those whom God has given us, each in the appropriate way.

As we hear in the gospel today, Jesus sent Mary Magdalene on a mission. He told her to announce to his disciples that he was ascending to God, not only his Father but theirs as well. Carrying out this responsibility, Mary Magdalene cued the whole Church. We too are to announce God’s love. We can make such a jubilant claim not because we have seen the risen Christ, but because God has blessed our lives abundantly in him.

Homilette for Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Tuesday, I Easter

(John 20)

In its beginning the Gospel According to John states that Jesus empowered all who accept him to become God’s children. Now at the end of the gospel the words are seen fulfilled. Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to go to his “brothers” and say that he is going to my Father and their Father, my God and their God.

The disciples believed in Jesus since his turning water into wine at Cana. Now, however, they are brought to a greater realization of what their faith means. Jesus not only has power over death but can use death to bring people to glory. It is like a baseball rivalry, say between the Giants and the Dodgers. One team, say the Giants, not only beats the Dodgers in every series the two teams play but turn the Dodgers into their most rabid fans. For this reason St. Paul will write that he never wants to boast of anything except the cross of Jesus Christ.

Death remains fearful in so far as we lack perfect faith. But we are not failures if we fear it. No, we are only displaying the frailty of our nature. Just as seven weeks ago we were wondering how we would do without chardonnay or chocolate during Lent, we hesitate to embrace death now. But when it is time and we accept death as the door to eternal life, we will see that it is not the beast we fretted. On the contrary, it will allow us to be happier than we ever dreamed.