THE WORD AND THE SAINT
July 22, 2023: The Feast of Mary of MagdalaSong of Songs 3: 1-4; John 20:1-2,11-18
To we celebrate the feast of Mary Magdalene, the first Missionary of the Risen Lord!
At times those who wish to show themselves as being faithful and pious have recourse to practices like spending time and energy to appease God, pilgrimage, fasting or other forms of self denial. The feast of Magdalene reminds us of the fact that the love of God is totally gratuitous and greatly challenging.
The Lord teaches Mary Magdalene, that faith is not merely clinging on to him, but going ahead of him, announcing the Lord's presence to the world, bringing the great news of hope to all around and waiting for the command from the Lord for further action. A mere sentimental attachment to the Lord is an easy alternative while an integral living, a courageous announcement and a personal transformation, makes oneself the message to be shared with all!
This is true faith: a personal transformation that leads to a convinced proclamation, through a compelling witness. Let us not look to cling to Jesus; let us take Jesus to others by becoming ourselves so filled with Jesus, just as Mary Magdalene was. Mary Magdalene is so special in the history of Faith - when we read the Gospel of St. John, chapter 20, we see, that the apostles Peter and John came to the tomb, they saw, they felt that something great is happening and went back to where they stayed. But Mary Magdalene, stood there, by the tomb; she remained still; she would not leave; her perseverance was great; her endurance was tremendous; her capacity to be still was praiseworthy and the Lord rewards her 'being still'.
The Risen Lord appears to her as the first one among the disciples to see the Risen Lord and the one to carry the great message to the rest of them... the first missionary of the Risen Lord!