Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

Today is the feast day of St Mary Magdalene, who is known in the Eastern Church with the lovely title of “Myrrhbearer and Equal-to-the-Apostles.”

We don’t know a great deal about Mary Magdalene, and in some ways, perhaps less than we used to, in the sense that the Catholic Church has, since the time of Pope Gregory (6th century), tended to conflate her with the “Sinful Woman” at Bethany. This blurring of persons has resulted in a particularly imaginative artistic tradition, that often depicts Mary Magdalene as a beautiful woman with loads of flowing auburn hair.

That depiction aside, both Mark and Luke tell us that Jesus healed Mary Magdalene of seven demons. To my mind, this makes this saint even more relatable: demons and demonic power surely oppress each of us in our unique struggle with passions and vices. Mary was oppressed by a multitude of demons, and Jesus delivered her from all of them. Surely, this is an encouraging example for the rest of us—of the possibility of healing.

But what stands out the most about Mary Magdalene is here unique experience of first meeting Jesus after the resurrection. I love how this story is told, both through Gospel passages, but also through the Stabat Mater, in the fourth movement of Ēriks Ešenvalds’ Passion and Resurrection. I find this to be a beautiful artistic representation of Jesus calling, not only to Mary Magdalene, but to each of us.

Listen to the movement here. The text is below.

Yours in Christ,

—Justin

(The Holy Women, bearing myrrh, came early in the morning to pour spices upon the tomb. Orthodox Sticheron for the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women)

O dulce lignum, o dulces clavos, o dulcia
ferens pondera: quae sola fuisti digna
sustinere regem caelorum et Dominum.

O sweet wood, sweet nails, bearing sweet
burdens: you who alone were worthy to
support the king of the heavens and the Lord.

Alleluia at Mass on the Finding of the Holy Cross from Venantius Fortunatus’ hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi

Why seek ye among the dead, as a mortal, the One who abides in everlasting light?
Behold the linens of burial, the Lord is risen!

after Luke 24:5–6

Woman, why weepest thou? Woman, whom seekest thou? Sir, if thou hast borne him
hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Mariam.
Rabboni.

—John 20:15–16