Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene
Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Mary Magdalene
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
(Note: on this memorial, the Gospel of the memorial is proper.)
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
This word of the Lord came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!
I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the Lord was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the Lord.
When I brought you into the garden land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the Lord?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.
Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the Lord.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
The oracle of Jeremiah recalls first the how the chosen people were saved. “Following me in the desert”; is a reference to the exodus and subsequent sojourn in the desert. But once they arrived in the land promised they turned away from God, even adopting the pagan practices of the indigenous peoples. (“The prophets prophesied by Baal”)
This part of the oracle concludes by saying the people have rejected the living water that is God’s favor (“…they have forsaken me, the source of living waters”) and they have turned to false gods (“They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.”)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11
R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O Lord, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11
Psalm 36 is of mixed genre, having elements of wisdom and lament. In these strophes we hear the psalmist thanking God for his infinite mercy. The metaphor of God as the source of living water is captured in the second and third strophes supporting Jeremiah’s oracle above.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 20:1-2, 11-18
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where they put him."
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?"
She 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."'
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord,"
and then reported what he told her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 20:1-2, 11-18
This passage is St. John’s account of the first meeting between Mary Magdalene and Jesus following the Lord’s crucifixion. In this account we get a distinct picture that the ascension had not been completed but the Lord is waiting to deliver his final instructions.There is debate about when the Lord ascended to the Father. Clearly his last earthly appearance was fifty days following the resurrection. Most scholars believe Jesus ascended immediately following his meeting with Mary depicted here. His return and actions from this point to the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11) were to accomplish the gift of the Holy Spirit he had promised.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“We should reflect on Mary's attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: "Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved."
-from a homily by Pope Saint Gregory the Great
St. Gregory speaks of Mary Magdalene’s persistent love of the Lord and how she sought him even after others had given up hope. For us, the very fact that she is identified variously as different people in the life of Christ provides us with a sense that she stands in our place as sinner, as sister, and as consoler at the foot of the cross. Of course secular media have tried to twist this confusion over singular identity and make it something unsavory. But we see in her the persistent friend of Jesus, one of his most ardent followers.
Do we believe she was a fallen woman whom the Lord forgave and saved in the face of those who would condemn her? If we do we also believe she will offer her prayers for us who have fallen and may be condemned by the world. Do we believe she was the sister of Lazarus who sat at the Lord’s feet taking the better portion while her sister Martha served? If we do we can see her as our model of faith, feeding herself spiritually with his Word so she might follow the Lord. Do we see her as the Mary who stayed behind at the tomb, having hope when all others save her great friend and Holy Mother, Mary had fallen to grief? If we do then we take her example and find strength in the face of great obstacles and find hope with her.
Regardless of how we see St. Mary Magdalene, we ask for her prayers on this, her feast day. We ask that she pray for us that we might be steadfast in our faith as she was in hers. We ask that her prayers will keep us from despair when all seems lost. And we ask for her strength and persistent faith in all we do, always.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture is “Noli Me Tangere” by Correggio, c. 1525
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Mary Magdalene
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
(Note: on this memorial, the Gospel of the memorial is proper.)
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
This word of the Lord came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!
I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the Lord was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the Lord.
When I brought you into the garden land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the Lord?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.
Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the Lord.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
The oracle of Jeremiah recalls first the how the chosen people were saved. “Following me in the desert”; is a reference to the exodus and subsequent sojourn in the desert. But once they arrived in the land promised they turned away from God, even adopting the pagan practices of the indigenous peoples. (“The prophets prophesied by Baal”)
This part of the oracle concludes by saying the people have rejected the living water that is God’s favor (“…they have forsaken me, the source of living waters”) and they have turned to false gods (“They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.”)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11
R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O Lord, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11
Psalm 36 is of mixed genre, having elements of wisdom and lament. In these strophes we hear the psalmist thanking God for his infinite mercy. The metaphor of God as the source of living water is captured in the second and third strophes supporting Jeremiah’s oracle above.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 20:1-2, 11-18
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where they put him."
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?"
She 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."'
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord,"
and then reported what he told her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 20:1-2, 11-18
This passage is St. John’s account of the first meeting between Mary Magdalene and Jesus following the Lord’s crucifixion. In this account we get a distinct picture that the ascension had not been completed but the Lord is waiting to deliver his final instructions.There is debate about when the Lord ascended to the Father. Clearly his last earthly appearance was fifty days following the resurrection. Most scholars believe Jesus ascended immediately following his meeting with Mary depicted here. His return and actions from this point to the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11) were to accomplish the gift of the Holy Spirit he had promised.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“We should reflect on Mary's attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: "Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved."
-from a homily by Pope Saint Gregory the Great
St. Gregory speaks of Mary Magdalene’s persistent love of the Lord and how she sought him even after others had given up hope. For us, the very fact that she is identified variously as different people in the life of Christ provides us with a sense that she stands in our place as sinner, as sister, and as consoler at the foot of the cross. Of course secular media have tried to twist this confusion over singular identity and make it something unsavory. But we see in her the persistent friend of Jesus, one of his most ardent followers.
Do we believe she was a fallen woman whom the Lord forgave and saved in the face of those who would condemn her? If we do we also believe she will offer her prayers for us who have fallen and may be condemned by the world. Do we believe she was the sister of Lazarus who sat at the Lord’s feet taking the better portion while her sister Martha served? If we do we can see her as our model of faith, feeding herself spiritually with his Word so she might follow the Lord. Do we see her as the Mary who stayed behind at the tomb, having hope when all others save her great friend and Holy Mother, Mary had fallen to grief? If we do then we take her example and find strength in the face of great obstacles and find hope with her.
Regardless of how we see St. Mary Magdalene, we ask for her prayers on this, her feast day. We ask that she pray for us that we might be steadfast in our faith as she was in hers. We ask that her prayers will keep us from despair when all seems lost. And we ask for her strength and persistent faith in all we do, always.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture is “Noli Me Tangere” by Correggio, c. 1525
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
No comments:
Post a Comment