Mary Magdalene July 22

Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the Gospels as being among the women of Galilee who followed Jesus and His disciples, and who was present at His Crucifixion and Burial, and who went to the tomb on Easter Sunday to anoint His body. She was the first to see the Risen Lord, and to announce His Resurrection to the apostles. Accordingly, she is referred to in early Christian writings as "the apostle to the apostles."

The Gospel relates that Mary Magdalene was present on Golgotha at the moment of the Lord's Crucifixion. While all the disciples of the Savior ran away, she remained fearlessly at the cross together with the Mother of God and the Apostle John. All that and amazingly enough, people don't want women to be Priests or Bishops, but I digress. ;)

The Evangelists point out that among those standing at the cross were also the mother of the Apostle James the Less, and Salome, and other women followers of the Lord from Galilee itself, but all mention first Mary Magdalene; but the Apostle John aside the Mother of God, names only her and Mary Cleopas. This indicates how much she stood out from amidst all the women gathered round the Lord.

She was faithful to Him not only in the days of His Glory, but also at the moment of His extreme humiliation and insult. As the Evangelist Matthew relates, she was present at the burial of the Lord. Before her eyes Joseph and Nikodemos went out to the tomb with His lifeless body; before her eyes they covered over the entrance to the cave with a large stone, behind which went the Son of Life.

Tradition testifies, that when the Apostles departed from Jerusalem for preaching to all the ends of the earth, with them also went Mary Magdalene to preach. A daring woman, whose heart was full of reminiscence of the Resurrection, she went beyond her native borders and set off to preach in pagan Rome. And everywhere she proclaimed to people about Christ and His Teaching, and when many did not believe that Christ is risen, she repeated to them what she had said to the Apostles on the radiant morning of the Resurrection: "I have seen the Lord!" With this preaching she made the rounds of all Italy.

Tradition relates, that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited the Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD) and proclaimed to him about Christ's Resurrection. According to tradition, she took him an egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: "Christ is Risen!" Then she told Tiberius that, in his Province of Judea, Jesus the Galilean, an holy man, a maker or miracles, powerful before God and all mankind, was executed on the instigation of the Jewish High-Priests and the sentence affirmed by the procurator Pontius Pilate. Tiberias responded that no one could rise from the dead, anymore than the egg she had brought could turn red. The egg turned red immediately, as testimony to what Mary was preaching.

Thanks to Mary Magdalene the custom to give each other paschal eggs on the day of the Luminous Resurrection of Christ spread among Christians over all the world.

Mary Magdalene continued her preaching in Italy and in the city of Rome itself. Evidently, the Apostle Paul has precisely her in view in Romans 16:6, where together with other ascetics of evangelic preaching he mentions Mary (Mariam), who as he expresses "has done much for us." Evidently, she extensively served the Church, being exposed to dangers, and sharing with the Apostles the labors of preaching.

According to Church tradition, she remained in Rome until the arrival of the Apostle Paul, and for two more years still, following his departure from Rome after the first court judgment upon him. From Rome, Saint Mary Magdalene, already bent with age, moved to Ephesus where unceasingly labored the holy Apostle John, who with her wrote the first 20 Chapters of his Gospel (John 1-9, John 10-20). There the saint finished her earthly life and was buried

Comments

[Monk-in-Training]

Hello Mark,
Thanks for your comment, and welcome to my blog.

I agree that Christ was and remains a Man. However, I would like to consider that issue a bit farther.

All modern Churches accept the Definition of Chalcedon as the base for understanding Who Jesus was and is. Those that do not are considered cults, the Mormons for example. That being said, I can only assume that you do as well.

So, it is understood by the teaching of Chalcedon that what is not assumed (by Christ in the Incarnation) is not redeemed. What Christ assumed was the whole of human nature, for if He only assumed maleness, how could women be saved?

I strongly believe, and the Church has taught for centuries that Christ assumed the totality of human nature when He was made Incarnate. The Definition of Chalcedon goes on to tell us that the nature He received, was solely from His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. And she was, obviously, a woman.

So, having the affirmation of the Chalcedonian Council that whatever it is in human nature that needed to be assumed by Christ (since that whole point of the Incarnation) came through a woman (the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God) we have to realize that she could not pass on to Jesus what she did not possess. So, then His maleness is not of salvic importance, but the totality of what makes us human is.

So, I have come to believe that it isn't Christ’s maleness that is of significance, in the Eucharist or in anything else, but His total humanity, which obviously includes His maleness, but does not appear to be limited to or by it.

Therefore, I see no reason, that women can be barred from the Holy Orders of Priest or Bishops.

I hope to hear your thoughts on the matter. :)

[Mark Olson]

On your remark:

All that and amazingly enough, people don't want women to be Priests or Bishops, ...

I'd say women aren't priests or Bishop's not because they are weaker, but the reverse. Men are called to lead the church because of they are the weaker regarding faith and spirituality (and things akin to that).

Another reason is that as the Bishop and Priest serve as an icon of Christ ... and Christ was a man.