Mary Magdalene, Myrrh-Bearer and Equal-to the-Apostles July 22nd
It was not quite dawn when she and her companions approached the cave where He had been buried. Moving slowly through the darkness of the Garden of Gethsemane, she paused now and then to wipe away her tears. He had healed this young woman a few years ago, by casting out her seven demons; how much she loved the Holy Redeemer, the Son of God, who had been interred at this gravesite after being crucified only the previous afternoon!
She had come to the tomb to pay her final respects, and to say a final prayer. But as Mary Magdalene approached the great stone that had been rolled in front of the cave by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, she suddenly caught her breath.
The large white stone had moved. The mouth of the cave was empty. With a sudden surge of terror, she peered through the pre-dawn darkness and her eyes grew wide. Could it be? Who could have moved such an enormous boulder from the gravesite? The day before, after she and the other grieving women had finished anointing and wrapping the body of the Christ Jesus, the cave had been sealed. But now the entrance was wide open. Was she brave enough to step inside and see for herself what had happened? No, already her feet were moving . . . already she was racing along the stony path toward the dwelling where two of the Twelve Apostles, Peter and John, were still sleeping.TAKEN FROMThey listened dumbfounded, while she explained everything. Then, throwing on their clothes, they raced back with her to the site of the burial place that Joseph of Arimathea had arranged the day before. Filled with suspense, the two Apostles did not hesitate at the mouth of the tomb, as she had – they plunged directly into the vault and stared wildly about.
He was gone. The cave was empty. All that remained behind were the wrappings and the winding sheet she and the other women had placed on the Body of their Holy Redeemer. Shaking their heads in disbelief, they stood for some time in the empty chamber, discussing this strange event in low voices. Then, reluctant to leave, they gradually drifted away to inform the other disciples of this dramatic turn of events.
Once again, Mary Magdalene was alone. A follower of Christ for the past several years, Mary was a member of the tribe of Issachar and had been born in the Galilee town of Magdala, located beside the shore of Lake Gennesaret. One of the myrrh-bearing women who had attended the crucifixion and then tended Christ’s body afterwards, she had been one of his most loyal adherents during his travels through Palestine.
She had loved him in life, and now she grieved for him in death. The dawn was just beginning to break in the east when she decided to take one last look inside. Wiping her eyes and stepping through the opening in the rock, she glanced toward the place where the body had lain, and saw a flickering light. No, two lights. She stared. At the spot where Christ’s feet had rested, an angelic presence burned white-hot. Near where His Head had been positioned, another angel now stood guard. Mary gazed at these heavenly visitors – and then she heard a voice. Was she hearing it with her ears, or inside her head? Did it matter? The voice was kind and gentle:
Woman, why weepest thou?
Too shocked to think, she answered with the same words she had spoken to Peter and John when she awoke them: “They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have put Him.”
She saw something flash on the far side of the tomb. Somehow, a man had gained entrance. The gardener at Gethsemane? Once again, she heard the voice: Woman, why weepest thou? Whom dost thou seek?
It had to be the gardener! Sir,” she said in a trembling voice, “if thou hast taken him, tell me where thou hast put Him, and I will reclaim Him!"
But in that same instant she recognized the voice – it was the voice of the healer who had freed her from the seven demons! Beside herself, she gave a sudden shout: “Rabbi!” Then she fell to the earth, prepared to wet his feet with her tears. But he stepped away, while telling her in a gentle voice:
“Touch me not, for I am still not ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and tell them: ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father and to My God and to your God.’”
She obeyed instantly, and she ran as hard as she could, all the way back to the house. Bursting through the door, she shouted into their startled faces: “I have seen the Lord!”
Amazingly enough, Mary Magdalene was the first human being to bring the glad tidings to the world: Christ had risen from the tomb!
In the years ahead, according to Church traditions, Mary Magdalene would wander the world preaching the Holy Gospel of the Savior. At one point, her travels would even take her before the Roman Emperor Tiberias (14-37 AD). After telling him the entire story of Christ’s resurrection, she would present the amazed Emperor with a bright red egg – a symbol of Resurrection – along with the unforgettable words: “Christ is Risen!” According to later tradition, she ended her days peacefully as a missionary in the Asia Minor city of Ephesus, where she died – probably around 60 A.D. – with a prayer to her Lord God Jesus Christ still on her lips. Her relics were later preserved and transported to Constantinople.
The life of Mary Magdalene teaches us a great deal about the meaning of the word devotion. Mary was a loyal follower of Christ Jesus when he was at the height of his powers as a healer and a preacher, with immense crowds following him everywhere throughout Palestine. But she remained just as faithful to the Lord after his arrest and humiliation in Jerusalem, where he was whipped and spat upon as he carried his cross toward Golgotha. And she and a few other loyal women also remained on the scene of the crucifixion, even after the terrified disciples ran away.
Who Mary Magdalene was historically seems to be less important than what she was about. She was released from seven demons. Whether these forces consisted of diseases or sin or both only God knows. We do know that she accompanied Jesus on His travels, however, and ministered to His needs. She was also present at the Crucifixion with His mother and other holy women. She wept for Him and was insistent on continuing to minister to Him, by anointing His corpse.
Considering the political situation of her day and the general position of women in her culture, Mary must have been a woman of great courage and great love. She sounds like a mixture of the practical Martha and the mystical Mary of Bethany. She wasn't a starry-eyed romantic but a deeply loyal and loving friend. She may have originally accompanied Jesus on His travels out of gratitude. Still, it certainly took more than gratitude to brave the ridicule and harassment of Roman soldiers and an angry mob, in order to follow Jesus to Golgotha and the tomb.
Mary was probably as confused and fearful as the apostles. But her love was stronger and she was determined to face the Roman soldiers so as to anoint Jesus’s body. What a tremendous gift she brought! She was the first to speak with Jesus after His resurrection and He commissioned her to bring the Good News to the apostles.
Apolytikion in the First Tone
When Christ God had been born for our sakes from the Virgin, thou faithfully didst follow Him, keeping His statutes and heeding His sacred laws, O august Mary Magdalene. Hence, as we today observe thy holy remembrance, we receive the loosing of our sins and transgressions through thy holy prayers for us.
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
When God, the Mighty, the Transcendent in essence, came in the flesh into the world, He received thee, O Mary, as His true disciple as was meet. For thou hadst thy whole desire and thy love set upon Him; wherefore, thou didst bring to pass many cures for the ailing; and now translated to the Heavens' heights, thou ever fervently prayest for all the world.
