Feast of St. Mary Magdalene year A
Song of Solomon 3: 1-4ab Jn. 20: 1-2.11-18
Theme: A woman of love
Today the church celebrates St. Mary Magdalene as a feast, while in some other places she is celebrated as a memorial. Our reflection today is as a feast and not as a memorial. St. Mary Magdalene is a woman of great faith, and she loved God whole heartedly. She is referred to as the woman in the scripture from whom Jesus casted out seven demons. That encounter she had with Jesus, was a turning point in her life. She became an ardent follower of Christ, and she followed Jesus with the other women and equally supported the mission of Christ. Interestingly, she was the first person to see Jesus after the resurrection. This was possible because of her love for Christ, which led her that morning to the place where Jesus was buried. It is said that Jesus referred to St. Mary Magdalene as “the Apostle of the Apostles”.
The story of the saint we celebrate today is greatly related to our 1st reading of today from the song of Solomon. He searched earnestly for the master and eventually found him, and she spent all her life from that point loving and appreciating what he had done for her and in her life. She was a woman of great faith and her lifestyle from the point she encountered Jesus Christ is worthy of emulation by all those who believe and serve God. She zealously served God with great faith and followed Jesus around with the other women, including Mary the mother of Jesus. As we celebrate her today, it is a reminder to all of us as Christians, to reflect on the level of our commitment to our faith in God. Is our faith in God limited to only the situations that are convenient to us, or we always serve him, just like Mary Magdalene did?
This can also be seen as an invitation to all of us as children of God, to evaluate the quality of our discipleship. Is our discipleship limited to only the times we are in need from God, or it is always? We are all encouraged today to be always true followers of Christ, irrespective of the situation we find ourselves. In good times and in bad times, that is what the Saint we celebrate today is encouraging us to do in our daily lives. We pray for the grace of God to be always true followers of Christ, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.