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We celebrate on July 22nd, the Feast of Mary Magdalene. We know little about Mary but there seem to be some generally accepted truths:
- there were women who accompanied Jesus on his mission, some who had been cured of evil spirits, among them Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-2);
- Mary Magdalene is among the women who witness Jesus’ crucifixion (John 19:25);and
- Mary is the first to visit the empty tomb, tell the apostles, and then encounters the resurrected Jesus (John 20: 1-18).
3 Reminders From Mary Magdalene No Christian Should Forget
First Reminder: Jesus is so close to you – even if you do not recognize Him.
John Spitzer, author and M.D., shares this reflection:
“Perhaps the story that I can relate the most is when she comes back after Peter and John have raced to see the empty tomb. As I place myself in the scene and . . . I can feel Mary’s anguish and pain. It has been less than three days since Jesus was crucified. I’m having a hard time understanding why the Romans would crucify him, he seemed to be such a good person, kind and merciful. His unconditional love touched all of us and advised us to turn the other cheek when trouble and insults would arise. Even the Jewish elders were angry at him and wanted him to go away. I could feel Jesus’ love for me and how he touched my heart. The whole crucifixion seemed so barbaric with so much bleeding, it just did not seem fair!
Later in his blog post, John asks a very good question:
“How often have I found myself in Mary’s position, stuck in my own feelings of pain and sadness after an adverse event, wondering where was Jesus so he could help me out?
He continues:
“It has been easy to be blinded by my own preoccupations, particularly if I’m feeling strongly that I want to do things my own way, make things better by myself.
But as I humble myself, acknowledging that I am so dependent on God and I am not much without God, I can feel the gardener become Jesus who looks at me and says, “John, I am right here. I have always been with you to guide you, to take care of you because you belong to me, you are one of mine. Your load may feel heavy, but I am here to lighten it. Let me love you and have mercy on you so we can go together to our Father.”
Mary Magdalene teaches us to:
Humble ourselves
and to
acknowledge that we are dependent on God.
This type of surrender allows us to recognize Him in our life.
This lesson comes from John Spitzer’s reflection. To read the entire post, go here.
Second Reminder: We are all meant to believe and spread the Good News.
Friends of the Faith owner Dominique Tomaino shares how Mary Magdalene is such a great example of spreading the good news of the Bible!
Dominique and Lauren were so inspired by the Bible in a Year podcast that they wanted to have Bible character toys to give to their children. This desire motivated them to start this new small business – Friends of the Faith!
We often get caught up in ourselves and stress over, “What does God want me to do?” Mary Magdalene’s witness reminds us to stop over complicating things – God wants us to believe in Him and spread the Gospel!!!
Mary Magdalene spread the news of Jesus’ Resurrection to the disciples. Our faith should inspire us to share the Good News to others!
As a community of Catholic Influencers, we see how the Lord uses our talents and crosses to spread the Gospel. Some through art (Ingrid Blixt, Open Journey), others through grief and loss (Jenifer Ramirez, Sacred Heart Tea) and others through admiration and goals to be Jesus’ BFF! (Tasha Gordon, Pax Rosa)
Third Reminder: WE ARE CALLED TO BE MORE HUMBLE! We are little and God’s Mercy and Love is Bigger
Bigger than us. Bigger than the misconceptions people have. Bigger than our past. Bigger than our view of others. Bigger than our knowledge of the world, history and theology.
John Spitzer, MD reminds us again – Mary Magdalene teaches us to humble ourselves and to acknowledge that we are dependent on God.
This type of surrender allows us to recognize Him in our life.
As Tasha , owner of Pax Rosa put it, “As a patroness of repentance, she’s a constant reminder that gods mercy and love is bigger than me.”
Mary Claire Scholl, owner of 12th & Blossom, shares a little known fact on her website:
“Did you know that the Early Christians dedicated the Daisy to St. Mary Magdalene? A legend in the early Church says that daisies sprung from her tears as she washed Jesus’ feet. The flower also symbolizes hope, new beginnings, innocence, and humility – so fitting for a saint whose story has been mis-told for centuries!”
The truth is – no one knows our full story like Our Lord knows us. We don’t know others the way God knows them either.
As John Spitzer points out in his reflection:
We know little about Mary but there seem to be some generally accepted truths: there were women who accompanied Jesus on his mission, some who had been cured of evil spirits, among them Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-2); Mary Magdalene is among the women who witness Jesus’ crucifixion (John 19:25); and Mary is the first to visit the empty tomb, tell the apostles, and then encounters the resurrected Jesus (John 20: 1-18).
Which reminder did you need most?
(tell us in the comments)
