Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. There are different options for the first reading, so I’ll let you read them and mull them over yourself. You can choose from Song of Songs 3:1-4 or 2 Corinthians 5:14-17. (You may also get the reading for Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time.) The Gospel is from John 20. It is the story of Mary’s meeting with Jesus after the resurrection. She was the first person to actually see the risen Lord, though she didn’t recognize Him at first.
There has been much conjecture about Mary Magdalene down through the ages. Many say that she was the woman caught in adultery, the story where Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” We don’t really know that woman’s identity. In The DaVinci Code, she was supposedly married to Jesus and had a child with him. We can safely do away with that one. Was she a prostitute? An adulterer? A harlot? All we really know is that she was a sinner. She was also a woman filled with love for Christ.
Here’s where we can take a page from Mary’s story. She was a sinner. You are a sinner. (Sorry if that is news to you.) She was forgiven. You are forgiven. She showed her gratitude and love for Jesus by dedicating her life to Him. Have you?
Father, may we take a page from Mary Magdalene’s story by repenting, accepting your forgiveness and giving our lives to Christ Jesus. Amen.
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