(Reflection
for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalen)
(Culled
from my yet to be published article on Her)
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)
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