Mary Magdalene: Apostle to the Apostles - A Witness to the Resurrection
July 22, 2024 - Monday, Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
Gospel of John 20:1-2, 11-18
In the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene plays a remarkable role. Together with the mother of Jesus and the beloved disciple, she was at the foot of the cross at the moment of Jesus’ death (John 19:25). Then, early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, she came to the tomb and was the first to discover that it was empty (John 20:1). Finally, in today’s Gospel, we see her being the first to see and talk with the risen Jesus (John 20:14-17). She becomes the first to announce the good news to Christ’s apostles that the Lord has risen. And so, she is given the title "an apostle to the apostles".
What did Mary see on that early Sunday morning? The position of the angels, “one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been.”, caught the attention of many readers and scholars. They remind us of the two cherubim overshadowing the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Old Testament (cf. Ex 25:18-19; 37:1-9). The cover of the ark was known as the mercy seat or as it is rendered in one translation, “the throne of grace”. Once a year, on the day of atonement, the high priest poured out the blood of the animal sacrifices on that cover for the forgiveness of sins. But, as we know the blood of animals cannot purge our sins away. Only Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross can. And so, the position of the angels in the empty tomb proclaims that Jesus’ body is our throne of grace, the propitiation for our sins.
Initially, Mary mistakes Jesus for a gardener. This recalls the Garden of Eden, the first garden mentioned in the Bible. The garden was created by God, and humanity was placed there to care for it. It contained the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was in this garden that the first sin was committed. Now, in another garden, Jesus, the gardener, walks among the new creation, announcing victory over sin and death. The cross becomes the tree of life, and the presence of the risen Christ proclaims the triumph of grace. Finally, Mary, a woman, holds on to Christ, the New Man, because she knows that her life depends on him.
"Woman" is the address used by both the angels and Jesus when speaking to Mary. This term is significant as Jesus used it to address His mother, the Samaritan woman, and the woman accused of adultery in the Gospel of John (cf. John 2:4, 4:21; 8:15; 19:26). In the garden, Mary is addressed as a "woman," reminiscent of how God called the woman in the garden of Eden before Adam named her Eve. The Church recognizes Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the new Eve and all women who encounter Christ become new women in Him. It is a powerful reminder that through Jesus Christ, we are transformed and made new.
Mary Magdalene's story inspires us to realize that in Jesus Christ, we are a new creation. Like her, we are called to share the message of Christ's resurrection with others. Let us ask her to pray for us, that we may fully grasp the transformative power of encountering Jesus and boldly proclaim His resurrection to the world.