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FEAST DAY -
JULY 22
 Sister of St. Lazarus and St.
Martha, she is called "the Penitent". St. Mary was given the name 'Magdalene'
because, though a Jewish girl, she lived in a Gentile town called Magdale, in northern
Galilee, and her culture and manners were those of a Gentile. St. Luke records that she
was a notorious sinner, and had seven devils removed from her. She was present at Our
Lords' Crucifixion, and with Joanna and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, at Jesus'
empty tomb. Fourteen years after Our Lord's death, St. Mary was put in a boat by the Jews
without sails or oars - along with Sts. Lazarus and Martha, St. Maximin (who baptized
her), St. Sidonius ("the man born blind"), her maid Sera, and the body of St.
Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin. They were sent drifting out to sea and landed on
the shores of Southern France, where St. Mary spent the rest of her life as a
contemplative in a cave known as Sainte-Baume. She was given the Holy Eucharist daily by
angels as her only food, and died when she was 72. St. Mary was transported miraculously,
just before she died, to the chapel of St. Maximin, where she received the last
sacraments.
Mary Magdalene was well known as a sinner when she
first saw Our Lord. She was very beautiful and very proud, but after she met
Jesus, she felt great sorrow for her evil life. When Jesus went to supper at
the home of a rich man named Simon, Mary came to weep at His feet. Then with
her long beautiful hair, she wiped His feet dry and anointed them with
expensive perfume. Some people were surprised that Jesus let such a sinner
touch Him, but Our Lord could see into Mary's heart, and He said: "Many sins
are forgiven her, because she has loved very much." Then to Mary He said
kindly, "Your faith has made you safe; go in peace." From then on, with the
other holy women, Mary humbly served Jesus and His Apostles.
When Our Lord was crucified, she was there at the foot
of His cross, unafraid for herself, and thinking only of His sufferings. No
wonder Jesus said of her: "She has loved much." After Jesus' body had been
placed in the tomb, Mary went to anoint it with spices early Easter Sunday
morning. Not finding the Sacred Body, she began to weep, and seeing someone
whom she thought was the gardener, she asked him if he knew where the Body
of her beloved Master had been taken.
But then the person spoke in a voice she knew so well: "Mary!" It was Jesus,
risen from the dead! He had chosen to show Himself first to Mary Magdalene, the repentant
sinner.
- Patronage
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apothecaries,
Atrani, Italy,
Casamicciola, Italy,
contemplative life,
contemplatives,
converts,
druggists,
glove makers,
hairdressers,
hairstylists,
penitent sinners,
penitent women,
people ridiculed for their piety,
perfumeries,
perfumers,
pharmacists,
reformed prostitutes,
sexual temptation,
tanners,
women
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Representation
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alabaster box of ointment
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- Images
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Gallery of images of Saint Mary
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Readings
- When Mary Magdalen came to the tomb and did not
find the Lord's body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed
the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what
Mary had told them. The text then says: "The disciples went back home,"
and it adds: "but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb."
We should reflect on Mary's attitude and the great love she felt for
Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was
still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept;
burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been
taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek
Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any
good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: "Whoever perseveres to the end
will be saved."
from a homily by
Pope Saint
Gregory the Great
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