Saint Mary Magdalene

Who is she?

Saint Mary Magdalene was a woman who followed Jesus. Her name tells us that she came from Magdala, a town on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. She was the first to see the risen Jesus, so the Church calls her “Apostle to the Apostles.”

Life story

The Gospel tells that Jesus freed her from seven demons. From then on, she traveled with Jesus as he went about preaching, and with other women she used her own money to help Jesus and the disciples (cf. Lk 8:1-3).

When Jesus was arrested and crucified, many disciples ran away in fear. But she stayed standing near the cross, beside Mary, the Mother of Jesus (cf. Jn 19:25). She stayed with Jesus to the very end.

Very early on the first day of the week, she and the other women brought spices to the tomb to anoint the Lord’s body (cf. Mk 16:1-2). But the stone had been rolled away, and the tomb was empty. She stood by the tomb weeping. Someone asked her why she was crying; she thought he was the gardener. Then he called her by name: “Mary!” She knew him at once: it was Jesus, her Teacher, risen from the dead! (cf. Jn 20:11-16)

Jesus sent her to tell the disciples. She went and told them: “I have seen the Lord” (Jn 20:18). And so she became the first to announce the joyful news of Easter.

Here is something you should know: the Gospel never says that Saint Mary Magdalene was the sinful woman described in Lk 7:36-50; mixing the two women together was a later confusion. In 2016, Pope Francis raised her memorial to the rank of a feast, like the feasts of the Apostles.

Why is she a saint?

Saint Mary Magdalene loved Jesus with all her heart, because he had freed and healed her. She stayed faithfully beside him even at the most painful moment, when many others had left. And when she met the risen Lord, she did not keep the joy to herself, but hurried off to tell others.

A lesson for you

• When a friend or someone in your family is going through something sad, stay beside them; don’t walk away.
• Read the Gospel often so that you recognize Jesus, just as Saint Mary Magdalene recognized him when he called her by name.
• Joyfully tell your friends that Jesus is alive and loves everyone.