St. Mary Magdalene:
The Apostle to the Apostles
While darkness still hung over the earth, she set out with courage, bearing her aromatic spices. Her mind was weighed down by thoughts of the massive stone sealing the tomb, yet those anxious thoughts could not deter her action. She was going to the tomb.
Upon arrival, she found the stone rolled away. She saw Him, yet her senses struggled to grasp the reality. She addressed Him as "Rabboni"—Teacher.
One might wonder why she did not address Him as the Apostle Thomas did when he confessed Him as Lord. In moments of overwhelming shock, a person speaks unfiltered from the depth of their heart. It is clear that Christ’s response to both Mary and Thomas suited the distinct disposition of each soul. When Thomas proclaimed Him Lord, Christ offered a divine, heavenly response. When Mary called Him Teacher, He gave her a profound lesson—and commanded her not to touch Him.
He did this to elevate her faith, ensuring she was fully prepared for His mission, awake to the reality of what was unfolding, and grounded in true belief.
She rushed back to the other Marys—including His mother. Together, they witnessed what had transpired. Perplexed, they turned back. Yet Mary Magdalene soon returned to the tomb alongside His mother.
It was then that He appeared. They fell prostrated, worshipping Him and holding His feet. It seemed as though He knew she would return, understanding the sheer weight of her wonder. How patient He is.
This moment brings to mind Peter, who had denied Him. His role alongside the Beloved Disciple was profoundly human—a reflection of the fallen nature of the first Adam, acting with hesitation and passivity.
In truth, the Marys redeemed the legacy of their foremother, Eve. It was Eve who succumbed to the serpent and led a passive Adam into their fall—a fate inherited by all their descendants. But the Marys presented the true, noble icon of Eve: one defined by dignity, motherhood, devotion, sacrifice, humility, and untamed courage.
Remarkably, the woman who sought Him first with such bravery was the very one who had once been possessed by seven demons.
What would the serpent and Eve say of the Magdalene today?
Undoubtedly, she is a source of bitter fury to the serpent, and a cause of quiet shame for Grandmother Eve. The Magdalene once harbored seven of the serpent’s minions; she shared the same feminine nature as Eve. Yet she transformed that fallen legacy into a new standard of righteousness and purity.
Time would fail to fully articulate the essence of Mary Magdalene and the vital weight of her role as the primary witness to the Resurrection—the chief witness of truth, and His chosen apostle to the male apostles.
