- In keeping His commandments and laws, O holy Mary Magdalene,
- You followed Christ, Who for our sake was born of a virgin,
- And in celebrating your most holy memory today,
- We receive forgiveness of sins by your prayers!
- When God, Who is transcendent in essence,
- Came with flesh into the world, O Myrrhbearer,
- He received you as a true disciple, for you turned all your love toward Him;
- Henceforth you would yourself work many healings.
- Now that you have passed into heaven, never cease to intercede for the world!
- Standing before the Cross of the Savior,
- Suffering with the Mother of the Lord,
- The most glorious Mary Magdalene offered praise with tears.
- She cried out: What is this strange wonder?
- He who holds the whole creation in His hand chooses to suffer:
- Glory, O Lord to Your power!
We should highlight a few elements of this hymn, which show the events in which Mary Magdalene was privileged to participate:
-
Intercessory prayer: Christians count on the prayers of those who have gone before us in faith, who make up the Church Triumphant; Christ's blood is the atonement for our sins, but our communion in His Mystical Body calls us to pray and fast for one another;
- Mary was known for her love, which indicated a transformation in her life. Upon meeting the Lord, she turned her love from worldly things to God, and in loving Him, was called to love everyone--not just believers or those in a particular circle;
- God took flesh in Jesus Christ, making Him more than a prophet, but the Second Person in the Trinity. There is indeed only one God, but there are three Persons in Him;
- Mary carried myrr to the tomb of Christ so that He would be buried properly after His crucifixion. She was a witness to His agony and death. He was not replaced by a body double, but died in torments out of love for us;
- She is called "Apostle to the Apostles" for she was the first to discover that He had risen from the dead as He promised. While the men immediately ran to see for themselves, it was not because a woman's testimony inherently lacked credibility, but because she brought such an incredible piece of news. Their haste, in fact, proved that there was something worth seeing!
These elements are important in the life of all women of faith, and in honouring women such as Mary Magdalene, the Church honours all women who love God and neighbour. Here is the Biblical account read on her feast day (Gospel of Saint John 20:1-2, 11-18):
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
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.”Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to 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.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.
