Dominicans strive to be apostles, preaching the gospel of Christ, and so draw their inspiration from her who was so closely associated with Christ and the early history of the Order. As a sinner-turned-saint, Mary Magdalene’s life testifies that allowing the reality of our sinfulness to keep us from our vocation to follow Christ is a mistake. There is a background in the Old Testament about being sent.It should be noted that elsewhere the other women are also sent to tell the disciples of the resurrection (Matt28:7, Mk16:7). This she does and, for this reason, she has been called ‘ the apostle to the Apostles’.The term ‘apostle’ in the New Testament is, of course, used specifically for the Twelve and for Paul but it is also used of Barnabas (Acts14:4) and of messengers from churches (Phil 2:25, 2Cor8:23). How can one speak of God without speaking with God?The life of St. Mary Magdalene as portrayed in the four Gospels serves as a model and a reminder not only for Dominicans, but also for all Christians, that to be fruitful apostles we must first be faithful disciples. / Prayer / Additional Community Devotions / Devotion to St. Mary Magdalene After Magdalene was converted to penitence the Lord bestowed such great grace upon her that after the Blessed Virgin no woman could be found to whom greater reverence should be … Gratitude Should Drive Us. These characteristics powerfully describe the preaching office and thus our Dominican life. We can, therefore, acknowledge her as an ‘apostle’ in the more general sense but nothing can detract from the healing she experienced, her following of Jesus, her love for the Lord and the specific revelation to her of his resurrection.
She is told not to do that but to go and tell his ‘ brothers’ the good news of his rising again from the dead. If the two had been identical, surely the Evangelist would have made the connection clear when he refers to her by name in the very next chapter?
In 1297, the feast of St. Mary Magdalene was celebrated with solemnity throughout the Order, as the General Chapter of Bologna had recommended.Why Mary Magdalene? Some say she was a prostitute or a ‘loose woman’ before she met Jesus, yet those claims are not supported by Biblical references. Luke 8:3). The readings, relied on by fictional writers, like Brown, are, in the view of most scholars, most unlikely.So we come to today’s reading: Mary has gone with the other women to the tomb (Mk16:1-2, Matt28:1) but runs ahead of them, in her anxiety to get to the tomb, and gets there first(John20:1). In any case, the references are highly ambiguous and could be made to read in any number of ways. After Magdalene was converted to penitence the Lord bestowed such great grace upon her that after the Blessed Virgin no woman could be found to whom greater reverence should be shown in this world and greater glory in heaven.
Nor can she be the sister of Lazarus and Martha, who listens attentively to Jesus (Lk10: 38-42) and is also reported by John as anointing Jesus ( John11:2, 12:1-8 cf Matt26:6-13.Mk14:3-9).There is no historical basis for the references to her in the Gnostic ‘Gospels’ of Thomas and Philip. O Almighty God, whose blessed Son did call and sanctify Mary Magdalene to be a witness to his Resurrection, mercifully grant that by thy grace we may be healed of all our infirmities, and always serve thee in the power of his endless life, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, World without end. She visited His tomb with two other women and found it empty. Amen. St. Luke counts Mary Magdalene among those who provided for Jesus out of her means (cf. The reading is from Saint John´s Gospel 20: 11-18. She places every gift at the service of Christ and His Kingdom, returning love for love. Matthew, Mark and John mention her by name, along with other women, watching by the Cross. We see in this woman that Jesus calls, that Jesus heals, that Jesus brings the true freedom which enables her to embrace her vocation to holiness.
It was to her that our Lord first appeared after His Resurrection. Amen. John 20:14-16 One of the first people Jesus appeared to in His resurrected body was Mary Magdalene. All of them report her as being present at the empty tomb on Easter Day.She is not to be confused with the woman described as a sinner who anoints Jesus in Luke’s account in chapter 7. When she sees the stone, sealing the tomb, rolled away and leaving a yawning, dark hole, she takes fright and runs to the other disciples, who are with the Lord’s mother, to tell them of her fear that the body of Jesus has been moved.This provokes Peter and John to run to the tomb to see what has happened, with Mary tagging along behind them.When they have surveyed the empty tomb, and the wealth of detail that can only have been supplied by an eye witness, they return home.Mary is left bereft and on her own.That is when she sees the young men or angels, mentioned by all the Gospels (Matthew and Mark mention one, while Luke and John two). Gafcon Secretariat, Unit 42/43, Kingspark Business Centre, 152-178 Kingston Road, Surrey, KT3 3ST, United KingdomGAFCON is incorporated in the UK as 'The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans' (company number 07759253)We are also registered as a charity in the UK under the same name (registration number 1144227)O Almighty God, whose blessed Son did call and sanctify Mary Magdalene to be a witness to his Resurrection, mercifully grant that by thy grace we may be healed of all our infirmities, and always serve thee in the power of his endless life, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, World without end.