Feast of St Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles

St Mary Magdalene, sometimes called simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine, was a Jewish woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, travelled with Jesus as one of his early and closest followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and burial. Mary Magdalene was the first to witness the resurrection. Mary Magdalene is mentioned by name 12 times in the canonical gospels, more than most of the apostles and more than any other non-family woman in the Gospels. According to many mainstream scholars, Mary's epithet Magdalene may mean that she came from the town of Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The Gospel of Luke 8:2–3 lists Mary Magdalene as one of the women who travelled with Jesus and helped support his ministry "out of their resources", indicating that she was probably relatively wealthy. The same passage also states that seven demons had been driven out of her, a statement which is repeated in the edited version and longer ending of Mark, signifying that a possible physical malady was cured. In all four canonical gospels, Mary Magdalene is a witness to the crucifixion of Jesus and, in the Synoptic Gospels, she is also present at his burial. All four gospels identify her, either alone or as a member of a larger group of women which includes Jesus's mother, as the first to witness the empty tomb, and the first to witness Jesus's resurrection. 

For these reasons, Mary Magdalene is known in some Christian traditions as the Apostle to the apostles.

In the first reading from the Song of Songs (3:1-4) we hear of the Bride’s search for her Beloved “I will rise and go through the city; in the streets and the squares I will seek him whom my heart loves.”

In the Gospel from John (20:1-2, 11-18) we hear of Mary Magdalene’s distress at finding the empty tomb and the beautiful dialogue which follows. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him’.  Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master.  Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her. “