Word to the Wise
Thursday, July 22, 2021 - July 22 - St. Mary Magdalene
[Cant 3:1-4b or 2 Cor 5:14-17 and John 20:1-2, 11-18]"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,"I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he told her. [John]
We Dominicans revere St. Mary Magdalene as the first preacher of Jesus' resurrection! The Eastern church coined the title, "Apostle to the Apostles," Some traditions have not been as kind, seeing her as a possible prostitute because she is mentioned in the Gospel According to Luke as someone "from whom seven demons had been cast out." [Luke 8:1-3]. What is clear is that she was one of Jesus' most ardent supporters and was present at the crucifixion, at the foot of the cross. Furthermore, she believed in Jesus' resurrection when the disciples were skeptical. She was a "woman of faith."
In the light of Mary Magdalene's witness and her constant faith, the attitude of church authority toward the participation of women in the ministry of the church beyond education and works of charity has been puzzling. Some small signs of hope for a change in this attitude have begun to appear in recent years, especially in Pope Francis' time. Perhaps we can invoke the intercession of St. Mary Magdalene today for further progress! In that way, she will continue to be an "apostle to the skeptical apostles!" AMEN