Saint Mary Magdalene
Feast
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
Contrary to popular belief, based on a rather late “tradition” in the West alone, Mary Magdalene is not the sinful woman described in Luke 7. We know that she was from Magdala and had been cured by the Lord. She became an eager and loving witness to the Lord’s resurrection.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Mary Magdalene sought your Son
with the impetuosity of a person
who loved him deeply
and who was afraid to have lost him.
When she had recognised him,
He made her a witness to his resurrection.
Lord God, help us discover
the presence of your Son
in the people around us
and may they recognise
that Jesus Christ lives in us
now and forever.
First Reading
Indeed, the love of Christ compels us, and we realize that if he died for all, then all have died.
He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again for them.
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one from a human perspective; even if we once knew Christ in a human way, we no longer see him that way.
The Message of Reconciliation
For that same reason, anyone in Christ is a new creature. The old things have passed away; a new world has arrived.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way?
I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Resurrection of Jesus
Early on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala arrived at the tomb before sunrise and saw that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled away.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them:
“They have taken the LORD from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb; as she wept, she bent down to look inside.
She saw two angels dressed in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the feet.
They said to her:
“Woman, why are you weeping?”
She replied:
“They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.”
As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize him.
Jesus asked her:
“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener and answered:
“Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her:
“Mary!”
She turned and said to him:
“Rabboni!”—which means Teacher.
Jesus told her:
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father, and your Father, to my God, and your God.”
So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples:
“I have seen the Lord, and this is what he said to me.”
Prayers of the Faithful
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these signs of bread and wine
Your Son becomes present among us.
Give us the firm conviction
that he is alive among us and in us,
that people may recognise
that it is he who makes our lives meaningful
and worth living.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
We thank you for this eucharistic celebration.
We have shared the table of your Son;
We share his life and love.
God, may we also bear witness
that your Son is risen and alive today.
May our lives reflect the love and joy
that he brought us,
until we enter the joy of your kingdom.
This is what we ask of you today
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
REFLECTIONS
John 20:1-2, 11-18
St Mary Magdalene: Apostle of the Apostles
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the first witness to the Risen Lord – St. Mary Magdalene. She witnessed Jesus' crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection and was also the first person to witness the empty tomb. She was chosen by the Lord to announce the news of the resurrection to the other apostles, earning her the title "Apostle of the Apostles."
The first words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John are a question that Jesus asked the two disciples of John the Baptist: “What are you looking for?” At the end of the gospel, as we read in today’s passage, this question is repeated: Jesus turns to Mary Magdalene standing before the empty tomb and repeats the question with which he began his ministry, asking her: “What are you looking for? ”
The Gospel says that Mary mistook him to be the gardener, suggesting that their encounter took place in a garden. It is usually in the garden where lovers meet. Mary's response reflects her distress for her beloved, and Jesus reacts with affection, addressing her by name – "Mary," causing her to fall at his feet.
That is the essence of the whole gospel: What are we ultimately looking for? The desire and love that drives us into the garden is to hear God pronounce our names in love. To hear God lovingly calling us by our name: ...