Saint Mary Magdalene

CCTN Presents: Discovering Our Saints

Were you ever accused of doing something you did not, or been slandered or put down by others. St. Mary Magdalene knows about this all too well. Other than Mary, the mother of Jesus few women are more honored in the Gospels than she was, yet she could well have been the patron of the slandered, since for almost twenty centuries she has been the victim of mistaken identity, as there has been a persistent rumor that she was the unnamed sinful woman who anointed the feet of Jesus. Yet today many scripture scholars are quick to point out that there is no scriptural basis for this confusion. She may be one of the most misunderstood people of the Gospel’s but that has also made her one of the most intriguing person’s as well. As there has been countless movies, television shows, books, and paintings, dedicated to trying to understand this woman known as the “Apostle to the Apostles.” The daughter of a successful fish processor, Mary was raised in a religiously observant family in the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. Although we don’t know much about her life before Christ we do know that when she met Jesus for the first time he exorcised seven demons from this troubled woman. From that first meeting Mary Magdalene was an ever-faithful follower of Christ. She assisted Jesus and the Apostles out of her own means, donating her time and money to the universal changing events happening before her eyes. She traveled with them and was present for many of the events of the Gospels. While Peter was denying Jesus and other Apostles fled during the crucifixion it was Mary Magdalene standing beside Jesus’ mother at the foot of the cross grieving over not only the death of her Messiah but also her friend. Of all the “official” witnesses that could have been chosen by Jesus to announce the Resurrection, it was Mary to whom he appeared too first. Although mistaken for almost 20 centuries St. Mary Magdalene would no doubt insist that it makes no difference, since we are all sinners in need of the saving power of God, whether our sins have been lurid or not. More importantly, we are all, with her, “unofficial” witnesses of the Resurrection.