From the story of his life
St. Mary Magdalene or as some call her Mary from Magdalene… she is a saint and a woman who, according to the Holy Scripture, Jesus healed of a serious illness.
She was a faithful disciple of Christ, a companion, and a woman who stood at the foot of the Cross at the time of Jesus’ death, as all the Gospels testify.
She also witnessed the burial of Jesus, and at the same time she became the first visionary of the Redeemer, resurrected from the dead, and thus became the herald of Christ’s Resurrection.
The empty tomb, as well as the apparition of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, is described by St. John in the twentieth chapter of his Gospel.
In the Western Church, her veneration was especially expressed and widespread in the twelfth century.
© The stained glass window of St. Mary Magdalene, inside the church of St. Severina in Paris (France)
In the middle of the Middle Ages, it is considered that she was a great sinner who then converted to the Lord, and became a great penitent.
She is often depicted in painters’ motifs as the one who washes Christ’s feet with tears, and wipes them with her hair… and is in some way identified with the biblical public sinner.
Many legends are about her life and fate, and therefore Greek tradition speaks of how she retired to Ephesus with the Blessed Virgin Mary, spending the rest of her life there.
According to French legend, Mary Magdalene sailed to Marseille with Lazarus and his sisters (Martha and Mary) and thus participated in the evangelization and conversion of Provence.
As a hermit, and as a penitent… For the last thirty years he has been living in the Sainte-Baume cave, near Marseille. Truly, she… She is an inspiration to artists, as well as a favorite among the people.
Invoked especially in the case of physical temptations… She is the patron saint of women, penitents, converts, penitents… Gardeners… and many cities, parishes, churches and chapels both around the world and in Croatian regions.
PRAYER
God, St. Mary Magdalene saw the Risen Saviour and was the first to announce to the disciples the joy of the Resurrection. Allow us, through her example and intercession, to witness that Christ is alive and to see Him as the King of eternal Glory one day. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.
Sources:
- http://zupajastrebarsko.hr/
- Holy choir for worship (2017.); Časoslov Rimskog Obreda, Kršćanska sadašnjost, Zagreb