The Other Mary

 

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending 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 she told them that he had said these things to her.

The most famous Mary in the world, second only to Mary, mother of Jesus, is probably Mary Magdalene, the converted sinner. She is mentioned by name twelve times in the gospels, which is more than most of the apostles are. Luke speaks of her as a woman who travelled with Jesus, and was one of those who helped to support Jesus’ ministry. In the same passage she is spoken about as someone delivered from seven demons (see Luke 8:2-3). Her story provides both hope and inspiration to all of us, especially those who might be struggling with the bricks that life throws our way. 

If there is one thing that I have learned over the past several years, it is that nobody has it easy. Born in a world that is evil, our struggles often begin at the moment of birth. We grow up to become people who are battered and broken. When I listen to the stories people tell me: of the abuse they went through — verbal, physical, sexual; of the neglect; of the abandonment; it is hard not to feel a certain sense of despair. What chance do we have? We are, like Jesus said, bruised reeds struggling to stand up straight, or smoldering wicks trying to stay alight in a stormy wind (see Matthew 12:21). But then I think of Mary Magdalene and I feel hope. 

Mary Magdalene is often portrayed as a converted sinner in religious art, and many depict her as the sinful woman who anoints Jesus in Simon, the Pharisees house (see Luke 7:36-50). Remember the woman who pours oil on Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair? If this is true, then there is a very strong case to be made for her being the sister of Martha and Lazarus (see Luke 10:38-42; John 11). But we will leave these matters to the scholars. We will concern ourselves with the fact that as a woman with “seven demons”, Mary Magdalene is representational of every single one of us who struggles with demons of our own. And that is everybody.

Before you protest, do you struggle with anger, or lust, or jealousy, or envy, or pride, or sloth, or greed? These are the demons that torment us, some more than others, and we find ourselves constantly battling them. There are other demons — I use the term metaphorically — like illness, both mental and physical, that torture us as well. We often despair, but let us do what Mary did. Let us go to Jesus with the certainty that the Son of God can deliver us from all evil. And he will. Because he already has achieved victory over the forces of darkness (see Colossians 2:15).

And when we are set free, let us express our gratitude to him like Mary did as well. Let us lavish him with love as Mary did. She poured oil upon his feet; let us pour ourselves upon him like a drink offering (see Philippians 2:17). Mary followed him devotedly, being with Jesus as he went through his Passion, death, and resurrection; let us follow him devotedly too, not leaving his side for a moment. Mary testified to his resurrection to everybody she came across; let us testify about our Lord as well, to everyone we happen to meet. 

And our names will be written in heaven as Mary’s is (see Luke 10:20).

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/LP0gPNzhWHM