July 22 — The Untold Story of Saint Mary Magdalene: The First Witness of the Resurrection

On July 22, the Church celebrates Saint Mary Magdalene, the faithful disciple who stood at the cross, kept watch beside the sealed tomb, and became the first witness of the Resurrection. Mary took her name from Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Gospels record that Jesus freed her from a torment described as seven demons (Luke 8:2), and from that healing she became one of the women who followed him and supported his ministry out of their own resources (Luke 8:1–3). She remained near him when nearly all the others fled, standing close to the cross at Golgotha (John 19:25) and watching where his body was laid in the tomb (Matthew 27:61). Early on the first day of the week she found the stone rolled away, and in the garden she became the first person to see the risen Christ, who called her by name and sent her to announce his Resurrection to the disciples with the words, "I have seen the Lord" (John 20:1–18). For this, writers such as Rabanus Maurus and Saint Thomas Aquinas gave her the title apostolorum apostola, the apostle to the apostles. For many centuries, Western tradition following a homily of Pope Gregory the Great around the year 591 blended her with other women of the Gospel and remembered her as a repentant sinner, an identification the Gospel text never makes and one the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar set aside. On 3 June 2016, Pope Francis raised her July 22 celebration to the rank of a feast, equal to those of the apostles, through the decree "Apostolorum Apostola," published on 10 June 2016. Her story carries a quiet message for anyone who has ever felt defined by their past. The woman once known only by her affliction became the first voice in the world to proclaim that death had been defeated, a reminder that no past lies beyond the reach of mercy and that faithfulness in the dark is never wasted. Sources: The Holy Bible: Gospel of Luke 8:1–3; Gospel of Mark 16:9; Gospel of John 19:25 and 20:1–18 Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Decree "Apostolorum Apostola" (Vatican, 3 June 2016) Arthur Roche, "Apostle of the Apostles," article accompanying the Decree (L'Osservatore Romano, 2016) Saint Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of John (In Ioannem Evangelistam Expositio), ch. 20 Rabanus Maurus (attrib.), The Life of Blessed Mary Magdalene Encyclopædia Britannica, "St. Mary Magdalene" Pope Gregory the Great, Homily 33 on the Gospels 📖 *Biographies of the Saints* — the lives of the men and women who changed the world through faith, courage, and grace. #SaintOfTheDay #CatholicSaints #MaryMagdalene