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Mary of Magdala - WOW 25th Anniversary 25 July 2021
Colm Holmes • 25 July 2021
Soline Humbert preaches
In the Gospel passage we have just heard, Mary of Magdala is called by name and missioned by the Risen Christ to announce the Good News of his Resurrection to the other disciples. She is the first one to see him, the first one to hear him and the first one to speak to him in his risen glory. It is a pivotal moment in salvation history and she is chosen to be the primary bearer of that revelation, the hinge on which the radically new hangs. This at a time when women were considered incapable of bearing formal witness.
The Risen Christ chose whom he wanted...and He chose her, a woman, to be his first Apostle.
Mary of Magdala whom he has healed, who has been his loving disciple, has provided for him, stayed with him through his death on the cross and his entombment. There are several occasions in the Gospels when Jesus' male disciples are scandalised by his ways of relating to women, treating them as equals, so they shouldn't have been too surprised if that persisted after his death ! However in 2021, our male church leaders still cannot open themselves to believe the Risen Christ chooses women (and non binary people) to be ministers of Word and Sacrament now.
The memory of Mary of Magdala as first witness to the Resurrection is a dangerous memory: it does not fit neatly into the established patriarchal hierarchy of our church. It is subversive :Not only Mary of Magdala is the first to whom the Risen Christ appears, but she is also called to be his spokesperson, his representative to the other disciples, including the twelve. In other words, His embodiment. Wouldn't you think Jesus would have appeared first to Peter, thus setting in stone his leadership role? And why ask Mary of Magdala to pass on the message? Could He not have spoken directly to Peter and the others? If today a Vatican dicastery were to be in charge of organising the Resurrection appearances of Jesus, the proper hierarchical channels would be respected, and credible witnesses of the correct gender chosen.
If Christ 's resurrection is the foundation of our faith, why give women and Mary of Magdala in particular, such a key role in it? it undermines any claim that a patriarchal, hierarchical church where women are kept in their place is God 's will. But love holds the primacy over gender. Mary of Magdala's bold claim echoes through the ages and throughout the world : ''I have seen the Lord and this is what He told me .'' She speaks with Christ's own authority, the authority of love, as she fulfills her mission .She cannot be stopped and will not be silenced. She is a risen woman. Alleluia!
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We Are Church Ireland
C/O 49 Rockfield Avenue,
Perrystown,
Dublin 12.
D12H6F6
Ireland