READ: "WHY SAINT MARY MAGDALEN INSPIRES US TO BE MORE FAITHFUL TO CHRIST" by FATHER PAUL ERICKSON: Saint Mary Magdalen is an intriguing and somewhat mysterious figure through the Gospels (there are a lot of women named Mary and it can be hard to know who is who sometimes!). But there is one indisputable and undeniable fact about St. Mary Magdalen: she had an unfailing love and devotion for Jesus. So writes Father Paul Erickson, Pastor of Saint Mary Magdalen in Brighton, upon his parish's patronal feast day, July 22. Father Erickson continues:
When all the other disciples fled, Mary stood by and watched Jesus undergo His scourging, crucifixion, and death. When Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for the body of Christ, Mary Magdalen was there to help prepare His body for the tomb. On Easter morning, which we hear about in our reading for Mass today), Mary is at the tomb by herself, weeping with grief and heartache. This unfailing love and devotion to Him is what makes this resurrection account so incredible; it is not an accident that she is the first person in recorded history to see Jesus in His resurrected glory.
On this feast of Saint Mary Magdalen, may we too ask for an unfailing love and devotion to the person of Jesus. May we be found ready to stand with Him at the cross, to care tenderly for His body, and to proclaim boldly that He lives anew. Through her intercession, may our attention be constantly and consistently focused on Christ, our Savior and our Lord. Saint Mary Magdalen, pray for us!
* First published July 22, 2021.