Chapter 2

St. Mary Magdalene, the Co-Equal With the Apostles

July 22

July 22.

ONCE when the Lord Jesus Christ went about Galilee creating miracles and signs by His divine power, a woman who was known by the name of Mary Magdalene approached Him and implored for His mercy. The Lord cast out from her seven demons, and liberated her entirely from the disease with which she suffered. From this time on the grateful Mary served the Lord, heard His teaching, and followed Him even to the cross-death. Together with other holy women, she looked upon the sufferings of Christ, and wept for Him. She, in company with the Mother of our Lord, stood by the cross, and beheld where they laid His body in the tomb. The holy women, overwhelmed with grief at the death of the Lord, prepared a sweet-smelling myrrh in order to anoint the body of Jesus Christ, as was the custom with the Jews at the burial of their dead; and after the Sabbath was past, early in the morning, they came to His grave but before the others.

It was daylight, Mary Magdalene came, and, to her surprise, she found that the stone had been rolled away, and the tomb was empty. She hurriedly ran to John and Peter and said to them, “They have taken the Lord from out the tomb, and I do not know where they have put Him.”

John and Peter immediately followed her, and on entering the tomb, saw that the body of Jesus was not in it, but in a corner lay the linen cloth in which the body was enveloped. At that they went away; but not Mary — she remained by the grave, and stood weeping. On stooping and looking into the tomb, she suddenly saw two angels in shining white apparel, sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They said to her, “Woman, wherefore weepest thou?” They have taken away my Lord, answered she, and I do not know where they have put Him. As she spoke thus, she turned backward again and saw Jesus Himself standing there; but as the hour was early she did not know Him and she thought that He was the keeper of the garden. Woman, said He to her, why weepest thou, and who is it thou seekest? If thou hast taken Him, said she, do tell me where hast thou laid Him. The Lord then called her by name: “Mary,” said He. On hearing His voice, she knew Him, and cried joyfully, Rabboni[1]. Touch me not, saith Jesus, but go unto My brethren, and say to them I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and My God and your God. In the mean time other women came to the tomb; Mary Magdalene returned with them also. They all had seen two angels, who said to them: Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here; He is risen! Go and tell His disciples and Peter that He is risen from the dead. Filled with joy and fear, the myrrh-bearing women went from the place, and on their way they, on a sudden, met with Christ

Himself, who said to them: All hail! They fell upon the ground and worshiped before Him. In this way, the holy women, who served the Lord so generously during His earthly life, were counted worthy to become the first heralds — proclaiming His glorious resurrection. Mary Magdalene, the first one to see the resurrected Lord, consoled the grief-stricken disciples with these joyful words: Christ is risen! As the first bearer of the glad tidings of the resurrection, she has been honored by the Church with a name synonymous with “co-equal with the Apostles.” After the ascension of the Lord, St. Mary continued in prayer together with the Most Holy Mother of God and the Apostles, and she was a witness of the first fruits of the Christian teaching in Jerusalem. Her great faith was manifest in the lively zeal with which she preached the Word of God, visiting different countries. Church tradition tells us, that she also came to Rome, and here she presented the Emperor Tiberius with an egg, which was colored red, while saying to him, “Christ is risen”! After this she told the emperor of the crucifixion of Christ the Lord, and accused Pilate of the unjust death-sentence which he pronounced against Jesus, the innocent Jesus. From olden days it was a custom, still kept by the Jews, especially by the poor people, to present their friends, acquaintances, and protectors on the anniversary of their birth and on New Year’s Day with red eggs. They were received as an expression of joy and the show of respect on the part of those people who were not able to offer a more precious gift. Since the time of this offer of St. Mary Magdalene, it has become a custom with Christians to present one another eggs which are colored red, in remembrance of the resurrection of Christ. From Rome St. Mary, the co-equal with the Apostles, went to Ephesus, where she assisted St. John the Divine until her death. In the fifth century her holy remains were transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople.