Since I already spoke of today’s gospel passage fairly recently, I will take the liberty of making today’s reflection about St. Mary Magdalene whose feast day we celebrate tomorrow. Mary Magdalene appears in all four gospel accounts but always makes her appearance almost out of nowhere at the crucifixion at the end of all four accounts. She is then present at the tomb early Sunday morning in all four gospel accounts. 

The very startling thing about reading the post-resurrection accounts of the gospels is how they agree on virtually nothing. Each gospel account’s post-resurrection story of what happened at the tomb the first thing early Sunday morning differs markedly from the other account’s. The only thing they all agree on is that Mary Magdalene is there in every account of that morning.

But it is only in the gospel of John that Mary Magdalene comes alive for us. Only Mark’s gospel explicitly states that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection. It is John who describes this meeting for us in a most memorable way. In John, Mary arrives alone at the tomb while it is still dark (still technically the Sabbath) to find the stone rolled away. She runs to tell Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple who hurry back with her to the tomb and enter it, finding it empty. Then they seem to leave Mary there by the tomb alone, weeping.

But then she sees the two angels within the tomb and finally turns to meet the risen Jesus but fails to recognize him until he calls her by name. We can only imagine her joy at hearing that. In her great love she clings to his feet at which she has fallen. We see Jesus having to reach down to lift her up in order to send her to the eleven with the good news.

Mary Magdalene, from whom, both Mark and Luke tell us, Jesus had cast out seven demons, had much to be grateful to Jesus for. Her pure and enormous love for Jesus was rewarded by Christ himself (some have asked could she be the woman who showed great love during the dinner with Simon the Pharisee?). It is a beautiful story of redemption and the gratitude of faith. 

Let us pray on this feast day of the Magdalene that we too can say, “I have seen the Lord!” That we too can recognize him when he calls us by our name, our true eternal name known only by our hearts that recognize his voice.