Mary Magdalene

Who they were

Mary took her name from Magdala, a fishing village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. St Luke names her among the women who travelled with Jesus and the Twelve and supported them from their own means: 'Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out', words that can mean a grave illness of body or spirit from which Jesus had freed her.

Later tradition made her a prostitute, confusing her with the unnamed sinner of Luke 7 and with Mary of Bethany, but the Gospels give no ground for it. She stood by the cross when most had fled, saw where He was buried, and on Easter morning found the tomb empty and ran to tell Peter and John. The risen Christ appeared first to her and sent her to the apostles, so that St Thomas Aquinas called her 'apostle of the apostles'.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: Mary Magdalene is honoured as a saint from the Gospels.

Why that counted as sanctity

Freed by Christ, Mary Magdalene followed Him to the end: she stayed at the cross, came to the tomb, and was the first witness of the Resurrection, sent by the Lord Himself to announce it to the apostles. Her holiness is faithful, grateful love.

Connected on this site

• Gregory I Saint
  “Eventually she became viewed in Western Christianity, largely due to Pope Gregory I's influential 591 sermon, as a repentant prostitute, despite there being no biblical basis for this portrayal.” — Wikipedia
• Magdalena de Pazzi Saint
  “Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, OCarm (Italian: Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi; born Caterina Lucrezia de' Pazzi; 2 April 1566 – 25 May 1607), was an Italian Carmelite nun and mystic.” — Wikipedia
• Marcella of Marseille Saint
  “Along with them, other Christians: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas and Mary Salome.” — Wikipedia
• Mary of Bethany Saint
  “Later tradition made her a prostitute, confusing her with the unnamed sinner of Luke 7 and with Mary of Bethany, but the Gospels give no ground for it.” — this site's research
• Mary of Egypt Saint
  “Historians further note that artists of Medieval and Renaissance Europe regularly conflated Mary of Egypt with Mary Magdalene.” — Wikipedia
• Thomas Aquinas Saint
  “The risen Christ appeared first to her and sent her to the apostles, so that St Thomas Aquinas called her 'apostle of the apostles'.” — this site's research