From the Hermitage
Dear Friends,
Today's gospel from St. Luke puts before us, again, a New Testament saint of the earliest days of the time of Jesus. It is St. Mary Magdalene.
There have been some controversies about who this woman was. In our Roman Catholic tradition, Pope St. Gregory declared that Mary, from the town of Magdala, a seaside town, was indeed the woman from whom seven devils had been driven, she was also the women at the well whose sins were forgiven and, of course, the woman who first ran to the tomb of Jesus. In the eastern branches of the Catholic Church, there are three different feast days for three different women as described above,
Regardless of the difference of opinion between the two different stories about one Mary or three different Marys, what is helpful to us today and every day is what Mary Magdalene's life and character signify for us. To cite a professor of law, Dr. Pat Borges, at Creighton University: In any event, I find the story of Mary Magdalene uplifting. No matter how humble our origins, no matter how scandalous our pasts, it is never to late to let Jesus into our hearts and be saved.
I draw your attention to this saint today because in a writing for the Knights of Columbus in early summer, my theme focused on Mary Magdalene. To my surprise there were several very strong affirmations by my Brother Knights that this woman was their saint of choice. And these men were quite clear in their reasoning. It is the thinking of Dr. Borges above that these men replied. Willing to acknowledge their humble origin as well as their status as sinners in their past, these men expressed how important St. Mary Magdalene had been in their lives, in their effort to allow Jesus into their hearts.
Does this Mary, Mary of Magdala, have any place in your heart? She is surely a model for those seeking comfort on their journey of faith. This Mary surely is a gift we can give to those who are seeking to finding a new relationship with Jesus Christ.
St Mary Magdalene, pray for all of us who have sinned. Seek for us the graces that strengthen us to let Jesus into our hearts.
Oremus pro invicem!
Fr. Milt
