The church celebrates the Feast of Mary Magdalene with today’s Gospel where we can see Mary’s devotion and faith. She sees him, though she doesn’t recognize him at first, as she finds the tomb empty except for angels. She does recognize Jesus, but he cautions her not to hold on to him as he will be ascending to his father. What Mary Magdalene does is to carry out what Jesus asks her to do: Go and tell the apostles what she has seen and heard. She does that. She is often called the apostle to the apostles. She has been mistakenly portrayed in the past as a prostitute, but that is not how the church sees her today. She was a devoted follower of Jesus, and her story can offer a lesson to all of us. Many times people mistake our intentions, our identity. We might be painted in an unfavorable light, based on what we have done or how people have perceived what we have done. While I always want to own up to my mistakes and my sins, I can’t always change how people view me or my actions. What can I do? I can keep searching for Jesus, as Mary Magdalene did. I can be brave even when I am afraid or sad or confused as she likely was at the death of Jesus. I can strive to live a life of that brings me closer to God, a life of faith and doing the right thing, even in the face of misconceptions, fear or sadness. We can celebrate her life of faith, devotion and witness.
My prayer today is to celebrate and honor Mary Magdalene and to ask God to help me not be so judgmental of others. Let me find God in all things.
Carol Zuegner
Writing and reading the Daily Reflections helps me connect with my faith.
