The Apostle to the Apostles, St. Mary Magdalene was totally devoted to Jesus. It was Mary who we see at the foot of the cross with John and the Blessed Mother. It is Mary we see at the tomb the very first moment she can come – pre-dawn we see her outside the tomb.
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.” – John 20:1
When she doesn’t find the one she is seeking, she drops her balms and runs to the disciples. Jesus’ followers who we find locked in the room in fear. Mary exclaims, “‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (v. 2) Her exclamation calls the disciples from their locked doors, leading John and Peter to the tomb. They see a marvel they can’t begin to understand – a seed of belief and hope starts to grow.
Mary despairs. We find her alone again at the tomb. I can see the tears rolling down her face. Her sobbing cry as she kneels at the rolled back stone.
Then, she moves forward. She peers into the tomb. She doesn’t see the body of her beloved. Instead, she sees two angels who question her tears – “They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’” (v. 13).
Standing inside the tomb, she hears a question from behind, “‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ (v. 15). Stuck in her worldly desire and forgotten hope, she tearfully asks this ‘gardener’, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away” (v. 15).
Then, she hears her name and the eyes of her heart open “Mary”.
After this encounter, Mary runs from ‘her’ tomb of despair to the disciples to share the good news. I can imagine on the way to the upper room as she ran through the streets, tears of joy flowing, and words whispering in a repressed shout of joy, “He’s alive! He’s alive!”
Mary loved Jesus. Tradition holds that she was healed of seven demons by Jesus. She had a lot to be thankful for. Jesus fundamentally changed her life. She had walked alongside Him and the disciples seeing much of what was done and said. She may have sat beside the fire after dinner was cleaned up to hear the after-hours teachings.
Mary Magdalene was a devoted follower of Jesus whose life was radically transformed when He healed her from seven demons. Her gratitude became a life of unwavering loyalty; she supported His ministry, stood by Him at the cross, and was the first to witness His resurrection. All four Gospels affirm her presence at these pivotal moments, highlighting her unique role as one of the few named female disciples and a key figure in the early church.
What Mary lived daily is the faith we all strive to achieve.
Mary is a great example of faith and hope and truly brings St. Paul’s words to life – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved meand gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20