Mary Magdalen: A Story Of An Encounter!

(Reflection for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalen)

         Mary Magdalen is known as an emblematic figure of evangelization in the history of the post-Paschal proclamation of the Good News. Mary Magdalen was originally from Magdala, a fishing village on the western shore of Lake Tiberias. At that time, Magadala was a fish trade center. Be that as it may, before meeting Jesus and being healed by him, she was sick, for it is believed that she was the woman from whom Jesus casted out seven demons. Biblically the number seven indicates fullness. And as we know, Demons point to evil. However, the number of the demons denotes the exceptional nature of her illness. So we could say that prior to her meeting with Jesus she was tormented by evil. But when she met Jesus the ugly story of her life changed. As a result she became a follower of Jesus.

          Mary Magdalen therefore, is included in the group of women who followed Jesus with fervent and unwavering dedication. After her first encounter with the Lord, she never stopped following him, not just by mobility, but she aligned her whole life to the person of Jesus and his message. Mary Magdalen is always mentioned first in almost all the occasions her name appeared. When she was presented together with a group of women in the eightieth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, she was the first to be named (cf. Lk.8:2-3). She was mentioned for the second time during the Passion, with a group of women, and again she was named first (cf. Mt.27:56-61). In fact, she is always the first, she was the first to run to the tomb, she was the first see the empty tomb, she was the first to see the Risen Lord and to receive the mandate to go and announce it to the apostles (cf. Jn. 20:1-18). The sojourn of her life and her journey of conversion can be condensed in the itinerary: from sinner (prostitute and possessed) to a follower of Christ, from a follower of Christ to a lover of Christ, from a lover a Christ to a preacher and evangelizer. In fact, she was identified by Thomas Aquinas and some other Christian authors as “apostola apostolorum” (apostle of the apostles).

         Hers was indeed, a story of an encounter that changed her life and produced good effects. We are going to focus our attention here on the event that took place in the Johanine Gospel (Jn. 20:1-18). Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus as her first love and she embarked on a journey of rediscovery and return. Mary’s desperate longing to be close to Christ, to serve Him in any way she could, became the way she lived her life. In Luke (8:1-2) Jesus sent out seven demons from her. Her name was mentioned twelve times in the Gospels, even more than most of the apostles. In Luke (7:37) some say that she was the Mary that poured the costly perfume on the feet of Jesus, while some others identified her as a prostitute, probably because Luke reported that she “had a bad name in the town”. She followed Jesus from the moment of his public ministry till his resurrection (permit me to recognize her as the most consistent and constant follower of Jesus). The context of the Johanine passage is at the tomb of Jesus. But we may ask: How did Mary know where Jesus was buried? St. Mark has this to say: “Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalen, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joset, and Salome” (Mk. 15:40).

        Mary Magdalen went to the tomb in search of Jesus, who has already risen. Here, two angels responded to the question of Mary Magdalen. She entered into dialogue with the angels. She was crying not out of desperation but out of nostalgia, that is the desire for an encounter with the One she loves. And after some time she made a step: “she turned” this indeed is symbolic of conversion. In this passage Mary Magdalen accomplished act of conversion out of love. And behold he saw Jesus on his feet standing, but she couldn’t recognize him, she thought he was the gardener. However unknowingly, she recognized something very essential in Jesus, and that is Jesus as the New Adam, the true Gardener of the Garden, “for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers – all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:16).

          Then Jesus asked her not ‘what are you looking for?’, but who are you looking for? At this point the love of Mary Magdalen was fortified, it became strength. In fact, she didn’t respond to the question of the man (Jesus). Instead she told the man, if you have taken him away tell me where you have kept the body so that I will go and carry her. True love indeed fortifies. Mary Magdalen changed her tears into audacity of being able to carry her beloved crucified Jesus on her shoulders. Jesus called her by name: “Mary”, and she recognized the voice of Jesus, and for the second time she turned (a gesture of conversion). Mary Magdalen responded “Raboni”, Jesus told her do not touch me. Here, the love or Mary Magdalene was liberated from every form of possessiveness, Jesus invited her to allow Him to be God for all. Jesus told her: “Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father”. Instead He sent her to go and announce the great message of Jesus’ resurrection: “But go to the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. After this encounter, Mary went to proclaim and announce to the disciples that she has seen “the Lord”, she didn’t say my Lord again, she understood that Jesus is Lord of and for all.

     Above all, she remains an inspirational figure to all who want to deepen their search and following of Jesus Christ, as she points out few existential indications on how to render the Resurrection of Christ evident in our life and actions. I join my voice to that of Cardinal Martini in invoking her intercessions: “Mary Magdalen, help us to seek and find the Risen Jesus”, Amen!

(Rev. Fr. Vitus M. C. Unegbu, SC)

(Culled from my published article on Her)