Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
The readings for the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene invite us into the heart of a love that refuses to let go — the bride in the Song of Songs searches through the darkness until she finds her beloved, and Mary Magdalene lingers at the empty tomb through her tears, unwilling to leave the place where she last knew Jesus to be. It is precisely this holy stubbornness of love, this refusal to walk away, that positions Mary to receive the most extraordinary gift: the first encounter with the Risen Lord, who calls her tenderly by name and entrusts her with the announcement that changes everything. Saint Paul reminds us that this same transforming love of Christ is meant to reshape us entirely, so that we no longer live for ourselves but for the One who died and rose for us. Today, let us ask for Mary Magdalene's grace — the courage to remain close to Christ even in our moments of darkness and confusion, trusting that if we stay near Him with a searching and faithful heart, He will call us by name too.
Reading 1
1 In my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and found him not.
2 I will rise, and will go about the city: in the streets and the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and I found him not.
3 The watchmen who keep the city, found me: Have you seen him, whom my soul loveth?
4ab When I had a little passed by them, I found him whom my soul loveth.
14 For the charity of Christ presseth us: judging this, that if one died for all, then all were dead.
15 And Christ died for all; that they also who live, may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again.
16 Wherefore henceforth, we know no man according to the flesh. And if we have known Christ according to the flesh; but now we know him so no longer.
17 If then any be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.
In Plain Words
The Song of Songs passage describes a lover searching desperately through the night for her beloved, refusing to give up until she finds him — a beautiful image of the soul's longing for God. Paul's letter to the Corinthians then explains that Christ's love and sacrifice transforms us entirely, so that we no longer live for ourselves but for Him, becoming completely new people in the process.
Key Takeaways
- Authentic love for God is marked by persistent, restless seeking — like Mary Magdalene who would not stop searching for Jesus even at the empty tomb, and who was rewarded by finding Him risen.
- Christ died for all of us, and that radical act of love makes a claim on how we live — we are no longer our own; our lives are meant to be oriented entirely toward Him who died and rose for us.
- Encountering the risen Christ makes us new creations — our old ways of seeing ourselves, others, and the world are transformed, just as Mary Magdalene was forever changed by meeting the Risen Lord in the garden.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Song of Songs was a Hebrew love poem that Jewish and Christian tradition have long interpreted allegorically as describing the intimate relationship between God and His people, or between Christ and the soul. The Church chose this passage for Mary Magdalene's feast because it perfectly mirrors her frantic search for Jesus at the tomb. Paul's Second Corinthians was written around 57 AD to a community struggling with identity and division, and his teaching on being a 'new creation' in Christ was a direct challenge to believers to leave behind their former pagan or self-centered ways of life.
Living It Today
Ask yourself honestly: do I seek Jesus with the same urgency and longing as the bride in Song of Songs, or has my faith become routine and passive? Consider carving out intentional time each day — even a few quiet minutes — to seek Him in prayer, Scripture, or Eucharistic adoration, refusing to settle until you sense His presence. Also reflect on one area of your life where the 'old things' have not yet passed away, and invite Christ to make something genuinely new there today.
Gospel
1 And on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen cometh early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre; and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2 She ran, therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith to them: They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
11 But Mary stood at the sepulchre without, weeping. Now as she was weeping, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid.
13 They say to her: Woman, why weepest thou? She saith to them: Because they have taken away my Lord; and I know not where they have laid him.
14 When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing; and she knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith to her: Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, thinking it was the gardener, saith to him: Sir, if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith to her: Mary. She turning, saith to him: Rabboni (which is to say, Master).
17 Jesus saith to her: Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren, and say to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.
18 Mary Magdalen cometh, and telleth the disciples: I have seen the Lord, and these things he said to me.
In Plain Words
On the morning of the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb while it is still dark and finds it empty. Overcome with grief, she stays behind weeping while the other disciples leave, and it is precisely in her loving persistence that she becomes the first to encounter the Risen Lord. Jesus calls her by name, and she recognizes Him immediately, then goes to announce the Good News to the other disciples.
Key Takeaways
- Love and faithful perseverance open us to encounter the Risen Christ — Mary stayed at the tomb in grief when others left, and her loving loyalty was rewarded with the first appearance of the Risen Lord.
- Jesus calls each of us by name in a deeply personal way. The moment Mary recognizes Jesus is not through sight alone, but through the sound of her name on His lips — reminding us that our relationship with God is intimate, not merely institutional.
- We are all called to be missionaries of the Resurrection. Jesus sends Mary — a woman in a culture that dismissed women's testimony — to announce the greatest news in human history, showing that every baptized person has a share in proclaiming 'I have seen the Lord.'
Historical & Cultural Context
Mary Magdalene holds a uniquely honored place in the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection, and the Church has celebrated her feast on July 22 since ancient times. Pope Francis elevated her feast to the rank of Feast (from Memorial) in 2016, calling her the 'Apostle to the Apostles' — a title used by Saint Thomas Aquinas and rooted in the early Church Fathers. In first-century Jewish culture, a woman's testimony held little legal standing, yet God deliberately chose Mary as the first witness to the Resurrection, underscoring that divine grace overturns human hierarchies and that love and fidelity, not social status, qualify one for mission.
Living It Today
When you feel spiritually dry, confused, or as though God is absent — like Mary weeping at an empty tomb — resist the urge to walk away. Stay close to the places where Christ is found: the Eucharist, prayer, and the Sacraments, trusting that perseverance in love will lead to encounter. Ask Saint Mary Magdalene to intercede for you today, and look for one concrete way to share the joy of the Risen Christ with someone in your life, even through a word of hope or an act of compassionate presence.