Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

By Ivonne Hernandez

“Magdalen stayed there until after the death of Jesus. She returned on the morning of the first day of the week. She knew very well that Jesus was buried; but she wanted still to suffer and to weep. The Gospel praises the zeal of the other women and the magnificence of their gifts; it speaks only of the tears of Magdalen. She is the Christian heroine. More than all the Saints Magdalen shows us the immensity of Divine mercy.” [1] - St Peter Julian Eymard

Meditation:

When we hear the words Divine Mercy and think of a saint, we might think first of St Faustina. In the pages of her diary, Jesus explains His unfathomable mercy for us, just like He explained His parables to His disciples in private. But when we look at St Mary Magdalene, we see what Divine Mercy looks like in practice. Jesus said of her “So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” (Lk 7:47) If we really meditate on these words, we would not despair at our sins, but would feel great joy knowing that “the greater the sinner, the greater his right to God’s mercy.” [2] We need to imitate Mary Magdalene by showing Jesus great love, by sitting at His feet and offering Him our tears, and by opening our hearts to His in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Pope Francis said: “Mercy renews and redeems because it is the meeting of two hearts: the heart of God who comes to meet the human heart.” [3] This thought is too great for our minds. As a mother, when one of my children is suffering, my heart hurts so much that I would give anything to take his pain away. If we think of God the Father looking at His Beloved Son on the Cross, we can only imagine how much His Heart hurt. Jesus always reveals the Father’s love for us, so when His Heart was pierced by a lance, we see the love and mercy of God gushing forth for us. His pierced heart comes to meet the human heart of His Son, and our hearts in Him.

His Sacred Heart, pierced for us, is waiting for us in the Most Blessed Sacrament. This is the place of encounter. This is where we bring our broken hearts and unite them to His. Let us prepare to receive Him through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and let us visit Him often and adore Him. He told St Faustina: “…in this hour…if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.” [4] St Peter Julian calls St Mary Magdalene “the patroness and model of a life spent in the adoration and service of Jesus in the Sacrament of His love.” [5] Love moved her to follow and serve her master, sitting at His feet often, and following Him all the way to the Cross. It is from there that she received the Graces to be the “Christian heroine”, a model of love and holiness for us.



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[1] Eymard, St Peter Julian. The Real Presence (p. 294). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.
[2] Kowalska, Saint Maria Faustina. Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Kindle Locations 4644-4645). Marian Press. Kindle Edition.
[3] https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco-lettera-ap_20161120_misericordia-et-misera.pdf
[4] Kowalska, Saint Maria Faustina. Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Kindle Locations 9996-9997). Marian Press. Kindle Edition.
[5] Eymard, St Peter Julian. The Real Presence (p. 290). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.