Saint Mary Magdalene: The Apostle to the Apostles

On July 22, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, a woman of profound repentance and immense love for Christ. Known as the “Apostle to the Apostles”, she was the first to witness the Risen Lord and the first to announce the Resurrection to the disciples.

Deliverance and Devotion

Mary Magdalene’s story begins with profound healing. The Gospels record that Jesus cast seven demons out of her, a deliverance that forged in her a love stronger than death.

After her healing, Mary joined the group of women who traveled with Jesus and the Apostles, providing for His ministry out of their own resources. She became one of His most devoted followers, her life a testament to the transformative power of divine mercy. She represents every soul that has been rescued from darkness and brought into the glorious light of Christ’s love.

Faithfulness at the Foot of the Cross

When most of the disciples fled in fear, Mary Magdalene remained.

Along with the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John, she stood faithfully at the foot of the Cross, witnessing the agony and death of her Savior. Her courage in the face of the crucifixion demonstrates a love that does not calculate risks or seek self-preservation. She accompanied His body to the tomb, a silent witness to the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

The Morning of the Resurrection

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary went to the tomb to anoint His body.

Finding the tomb empty, she wept. It was then that Jesus appeared to her. At first, she mistook Him for the gardener, but when He called her by name—“Mary”—her eyes were opened. Her response, “Rabboni” (Teacher), echoes through the centuries as the cry of a soul finding its ultimate joy.

Jesus then entrusted her with a monumental task: to go and tell the brethren that He had risen. For this reason, Saint Thomas Aquinas gave her the beautiful title Apostolorum Apostola—the Apostle to the Apostles.

A Legacy of Contemplative Love

Tradition holds that Mary Magdalene spent her final years in deep contemplation.

Whether she traveled to Ephesus with the Virgin Mary and Saint John, or to southern France to live as a hermit in a cave (La Sainte-Baume) as Western tradition recounts, her life remained hidden in Christ. Today, her feast day is a celebration of hope: reminding us that no matter our past, the mercy of God can transform us into the greatest heralds of His truth.