St. Mary Magdalene

Feast Day: July 22

“I have seen the Lord!” – John 20:18

Mary Magdalene stood near the tomb while it was still dark.

Jesus was dead.

She had followed Him during His ministry, remained near Him during His Crucifixion, and watched as His body was laid in a tomb.

Now she had come back.

But the stone had been moved.

Mary ran to tell Peter and John, and after they came and left, she remained outside the tomb weeping.

Then someone spoke to her.

“Woman, why are you weeping?”

Mary thought it was the gardener.

Until He said her name.

“Mary.”

She knew that voice.

“Teacher!” she cried.

The man standing before her was Jesus.

Alive.

Mary Magdalene became one of the first witnesses of the greatest event in human history: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus then gave her a mission.

“Go to my brothers and tell them…”

Mary ran to the disciples with a message that would change the world:

“I have seen the Lord.”

For this reason, St. Mary Magdalene has often been called the Apostle to the Apostles.

St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us.

Who Was St. Mary Magdalene?

St. Mary Magdalene was one of the women who followed Jesus during His earthly ministry.

The Gospels identify her as Mary from Magdala, a town near the Sea of Galilee.

St. Luke tells us that Jesus had freed her from “seven demons” (Luke 8:2).

Afterward, Mary became one of the women who traveled with Jesus and the Twelve and helped support their ministry.

Her life had been changed by Christ.

From that point forward, she followed Him faithfully.

Was Mary Magdalene a Prostitute?

Mary Magdalene is sometimes portrayed as a former prostitute, but the Bible never says this.

The Gospels distinguish Mary Magdalene from other unnamed women whose sins are described.

Scripture tells us that Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from seven demons, but it does not identify those demons with prostitution or sexual sin.

For Catholics, there is no need to add details that Scripture itself does not give us.

What we do know is already remarkable.

Mary encountered Jesus, received His mercy, and became one of His most faithful disciples.

Mary at the Cross

When many of Jesus’ disciples fled during His Passion, Mary Magdalene remained close.

The Gospels place her among the women who witnessed the Crucifixion.

She watched Jesus suffer.

She watched Him die.

And she saw where His body was buried.

Her presence at Calvary shows the depth of her devotion.

Following Jesus had led Mary to the foot of the Cross.

Still, she did not leave Him.

The Empty Tomb

After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb.

According to St. John’s Gospel, she arrived while it was still dark and discovered that the stone had been removed.

She immediately ran to Peter and the beloved disciple.

“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,” she told them, “and we don’t know where they put him.”

Peter and John ran to investigate.

But Mary remained behind.

She wept outside the tomb because she believed Jesus’ body had been taken away.

Then she looked inside.

Two angels were there.

Soon afterward, the risen Jesus Himself stood before her.

At first she did not recognize Him.

Then Jesus simply said her name:

“Mary.”

Everything changed.

“I Have Seen the Lord”

Jesus told Mary not to remain there clinging to Him, but to go and tell His disciples what had happened.

Mary obeyed.

She went to them and announced:

“I have seen the Lord.”

Those words make Mary Magdalene one of Christianity’s most important witnesses.

She did not merely hear that the tomb was empty.

She encountered the risen Christ.

And Jesus entrusted her with the task of carrying that news to His disciples.

Because she announced the Resurrection to the apostles, Christian tradition has often honored her with the title Apostle to the Apostles.

Why Mary Magdalene Matters

Mary Magdalene’s story is ultimately a story about what happens when someone encounters Jesus.

Christ freed her.

She followed Him.

She remained close to Him at the Cross.

She searched for Him at the tomb.

And when she discovered that He was alive, she immediately shared the news with others.

Her entire life became centered on Christ.

That is what discipleship is supposed to look like.

What St. Mary Magdalene Teaches Us

Mary teaches us to remain close to Jesus even when everything appears lost.

At the Cross, she stayed.

At the tomb, she returned.

When she could not understand what had happened, she continued searching for Christ.

And Jesus found her there.

Mary also teaches us that an encounter with Christ should lead to mission.

Jesus did not allow her to keep the good news to herself.

He sent her.

Every Christian receives the same basic calling.

We encounter Christ so that we can bring Christ to others.

When Is the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene?

The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene on July 22.

In 2016, Pope Francis elevated her liturgical celebration from a memorial to a feast, emphasizing her important role as a witness to the Resurrection.

She remains one of the clearest biblical examples of faithful discipleship, love for Christ, and the mission to proclaim that Jesus is risen.

Prayer Inspired by St. Mary Magdalene

Lord Jesus Christ,

give us the faithful heart of St. Mary Magdalene.

Help us to remain close to You when life becomes painful or confusing.

Give us the grace to seek You when we feel lost and to recognize Your voice when You call our name.

And when we encounter Your mercy, give us the courage to share the good news with others.

May we be able to say with St. Mary Magdalene:

“I have seen the Lord.”

St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us. Amen.