Mary Magdalene

 I went to see the Chosen on the big screen this evening. If you are not familiar, The Chosen is a series based on the Gospel accounts but enhanced with the writers filling in some of the back-story of the lives of the disciples. The first two episodes of Season 3 have been released on the big screen. Many of my friends really love the series, but I have not been able to get into it as well. However, I really enjoyed the show tonight - maybe it's the movie theater experience or maybe it was just the part of the story that was being told.

Because I have been taken back to Biblical times by the movie tonight, my Saint for today will be one of the disciples - Mary of Magdala, also known as Mary Magdalene. All that is known about Mary is what we can read in the four canonical Gospels, but what is there is pretty impressive. Mary is mentioned 12 times in the Gospels. This is more than most of the apostles and more than any other woman in the Gospels outside of Jesus' family. 

The name Magdalene indicates that Mary came from the town of Magdala. She is mentioned in Luke's Gospel as one of a group of women who traveled with Jesus and helped support his ministry "out of their resources." This implies that she was probably a woman of means. The Gospel accounts also say that seven demons had been driven out of her. All four Gospels place her as a witness to the crucifixion and as the first, or one of the first, witness to the empty tomb. In St. John's Gospel, the risen Jesus sends Mary to the Apostles to tell them of his resurrection, earning her the title of "apostle to the apostles."

The portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute date from the late 6th century. Her story was conflated with that of Mary of Bethany and the "sinful woman" who anointed Jesus' feet. This is a misreading of the text as Mary of Magdala and Mary of Bethany are clearly two separate women, and the "sinful woman" remains unnamed. 

Mary Magdalene has a whole list of patronages, which I am not going to list here for the sake of time - you can look them up yourself if it interests you. Her feast day is July 22. St. Mary of Magdala, pray for us.