It was barely dawn. Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” slipped quietly through the streets of Jerusalem. Since they watched on Good Friday, they had had only one mission in mind: to appropriately prepare Jesus’ body for burial.
It had been the longest Passover, the longest Sabbath, the Magdalene had ever experienced. There was no Passover festivity for her. No joy. No solace. Time after time she went to the door to look, “Was it sunset yet?” How much longer before she could go and prepare the spices and oils to anoint Jesus’ body? It was all she could think of.
All the little community of disciples spent the day in shock—together, yet alone in their grief. As sunset came Magdalene and the other Mary determined together they were going to complete one last act of love on the One who had been so good to them.
Magdalene remembered when she first met Jesus. She had been deeply troubled with demons—seven of them. But Jesus cast them out. She was free! From that moment her head was clear. She could think and make decisions. She could love! How she loved this Jesus who saved her…and his disciples. She was a woman of means, and so she now used those means to provide for the needs of Jesus and his friends. As they traveled from town to town, teaching and healing, she and some other women did the hidden work. They purchased food or the ingredients for food and prepared it. They got water from wells in villages. They did laundry.
And they listened! Magdalene and the other Mary both loved to listen to Jesus’ stories. He called God “Abba, Father,” and made Him real. When they were with Jesus, they felt like they were in the presence of that Father.
For months Jesus had been talking about having to go to Jerusalem and “be lifted up.” Magdalene had always had a sense of foreboding when he said that, but, still, she had never imagined that he would be lifted up on a cross.
But lifted up he was. Captured, tried, scourged, mocked, forced to even carry his cross until he collapsed. Nailed! Not a scream came from him.
Magdalene was drawn. She stood there beneath the cross. Jesus spoke to his mother, to John who was there. He spoke to the thief.
But he did not speak to Magdalene—except with his eyes. She would always remember his eyes on the cross. Yet, what was she to do now? Jesus didn’t tell her.
She didn’t know. She just knew she needed to find a way to anoint his body. So he could await the resurrection. Magdalene heard the scribes and Pharisees talk about the resurrection that was to come. People had to be perfect to be resurrected. Well, Jesus was perfect. His body needed to be ready for whatever the resurrection was and would be.
As they neared the garden, the two Marys wondered: how will we roll the stone away? They didn’t know, but there had to be a way.
When they reached the tomb, they found the stone rolled away and an angel sitting on it. Today’s Gospel leaves out the description of that. Here it is:
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7dThen go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.” (Matthew 28: 2-7)
Then we have today’s passage:
Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce* this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
More of the Story
The Gospel of John tells of this meeting between Magdalene and Jesus in a more poignant way. John adds some significant details. In yesterday’s Gospel, John says Magdalene came to the tomb and saw the stone rolled away. She ran to tell Peter and John. They came, but did not understand and went away.
But the story continues. Magdalene stayed. She stayed like she stayed at the foot of the cross. And something very beautiful happened. The Gospel of John adds these Easter morning details:
But 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?”hShe 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.’”iMary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.
Mary Magdalene met the risen Jesus. And, by agreement of the Gospels, became the first apostle, the first missionary of the Good News: “He is risen.”
Magdalene’s Witness
The first part of this meditation is imagination. We do not know what the Magdalene thought as she waited for the first day of the week. We do not know what she thought as she walked to the tomb that morning. The scriptures vary on who went with her.
But that the Magdalene went, encountered the risen Christ, and went to tell….that is truth in Scripture. As today’s Gospel goes on to tell, there was another story circulated around Jerusalem, that Jesus’ disciples took his body away. That was a lie.
Lies and truth about Jesus, the Christ, still abound around us, two-thousand years later. Yet those of us who have been healed, touched, transformed by Jesus still say, “He is risen!” And the fact that God became man, was born, taught his disciples, died, was buried, and rose from the dead anchors and centers our lives.
Historically, much has been said of Mary Magdalene…based on legends, shreds of evidence. Was she a prostitute? Did she struggle with other apostles after the resurrection? Was she the same person as Mary of Bethany? History knows the truth of those questions. We do not.
But we do know she responded to Jesus’ healing of her by following him and contributing from her means. We know she was present at the foot of the cross and that she proclaimed the resurrection.
Can as much be said of me? Of you?
Prayer:
Lord, you draw me to Magdalene. Let me live in appreciation for what you have done for me with her fervor, practicality, and witness. St. Mary Magdalene, pray for me!
