Saint of the Month: Saint Mary Magdalene, A Transformed Life

Mary Magdalene, also known as Mary of Magdala, is one of the most intriguing figures in the New Testament. She was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ and is remembered for her unwavering faith, spiritual insight, and significant role in the early Christian community.

Her name suggests she came from Magdala, a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. We have no information about her birth or upbringing, only that she was a sinner. She is first mentioned in the Gospel of Luke as a woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2), which resulted in her dramatic transformation from a life of sin to one of Jesus’ most devoted followers.

It can be a little confusing to place Mary of Magdala in the Gospels because so many women were named Mary.  She is often mistaken for the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair, as well as the woman who was almost stoned before Jesus intervened.

She was not one of these women but is herself mentioned about a dozen times in the Gospels as an active, supporting part of Jesus’ ministry. Luke’s Gospel mentions that Mary helped Jesus and the twelve out of her means, which reveals her to be a woman with some degree of financial independence. Who Mary was before her encounter with the Son of God is much less important than who she became because she accepted His message.

It is in that rejection of her sinful past that Mary serves as an example for all the faithful.

Mary shows her the depth of her devotion in the Passion narratives. She bravely remained near Jesus during his crucifixion when many others fled, witnessing his death on the cross.

According to all four Gospels, she was also present at Jesus’ burial and was the first to discover the empty tomb. In the Gospel of John (20:11–18), she is the first to see the risen Christ and is commissioned by him to tell the disciples of his resurrection. For this, she is often called the “Apostle to the Apostles,” for she was the first to proclaim His rising.

“Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the Risen Christ, and for this reason, she was also the first to bear witness to him before the Apostles. This event, in a sense, crowns all that has been said previously about Christ entrusting divine truths to women as well as men.” – Saint John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem

Mary Magdalene’s feast day is celebrated on July 22. She is the patron saint of women, converts, penitent sinners, hairdressers, and people who are ridiculed for their piety.

Download the free Saint of the Month poster designed by Emily Prause using the button below. You can pin it to your classroom wall or place it on your refrigerator to help your children learn more about Saint Mary Magdalene.

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