Be like St. Mary Magdalene.  I don’t mean go and get possessed by seven demons.  No, be like her after she met Jesus.

Today is the feast day for St. Mary Magdalene.  Yes, her feast day, not just a memorial. Pope Francis recognized her important role as a witness to Christ’s resurrection and, in 2016, raised her celebration from a memorial to a feast day on the same level as the Apostles.  

Today’s Gospel, John 20: 1-2, 11-18, recounts the event of the morning after Jesus was crucified and buried.  Out of love for Jesus and a burning desire to be with Him, Mary of Magdala went to Jesus’ tomb at the break of dawn, only to discover that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus was no longer there.  She ran to tell the news to Peter and John, who raced back to the tomb to see for themselves.  Acknowledging that Jesus was gone, but not understanding why, they left and returned home.

Mary, however, stayed at the tomb and wept for her beloved Jesus. She entered the tomb and was approached by Jesus whom she mistakenly thought was the gardener.  Jesus told her to stop holding on to Him, and sent her to tell His brothers that He had not yet ascended to the Father.  She obeyed and returned to the disciples announcing that she had, “‘Seen the risen Lord,’ and what He told her.”

By returning to her friends, the disciples, Mary became the Apostle to the Apostles, and was the first to evangelize and proclaim Christ’s resurrection, thus earning her place in that select group.

What do I mean by saying “Be like St. Mary Magdalen”?  Well, first, we need to develop a loving relationship with Jesus like she did.  We need to allow Jesus to save us from our sins.  Then, like Mary, we need to spend time with Jesus, building and strengthening that relationship through prayer, listening to Him, and living our lives as He would have us live them.  And, finally, we need to heed Jesus’ words to her and tell others about His resurrection.  Jesus is sending us on mission.  We are all called to be apostles, called to evangelize.

But, you might argue, Mary was sent to the Apostles who already believed in Jesus, men who already had a relationship with Him.  That’s right, and we are sent to do the same.  We often think of evangelizing as proclaiming the gospel to those who don’t believe.  It certainly is, but we can also evangelize those who come to mass every week or most of the time; those who might occasionally attend a study class because they are wanting to learn more; and those who secretly have their doubts about some aspect of our faith.  We are called to help others grow in their relationship with Jesus.  Like Mary, we can do that by showing our love and devotion to Jesus in prayer, in the Eucharist, and not keeping our faith private.  We can reach out to friends and acquaintances, delighting in them and valuing their dignity by inviting them into conversation and offering friendship and hospitality.  

Evangelizing in this way will move those who believe but who minimally live their faith, and those who are seeking and growing in their faith, towards being fully missionary disciples.  If we are to live out the central mission of our Catholic faith, we are required to make disciples of all nations.  We can only do that by building an army of missionary disciples who are willing to evangelize both externally and internally.

You can be like St. Mary Magdalene.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the St. Marys of Magdala that You put into my life.  I would not be the disciple that I am today if missionary disciples who had an intense love for You and a desire to proclaim Your Kingdom had not accompanied me on my faith journey.  Lord, I pray for the grace to pay this forward and help others draw closer to You and Your Son, Jesus.  Amen.”

(Be Like St. Mary Magdalene, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

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