Apostola Apostolorum

I love this Saint. She is my hero. She is the namesake of this Blog. I have claimed her feast day as my own and usually find some special things to do today in her memory. There's a lot out there in the blogosphere to assist in meditative thought so I'll refrain from the urge to plageurize. One of the reasons I am drawn to her was the seeming profundity of her healing. You see, Mary didn't have 1 or 2 character issues that she needed to work on. She was ensnared with a whopping seven demons that were destroying her from the inside out...(talk about hair in a hurricane), and Christ, her savior and our savior removed them all. Mary Magdalene provides insight and inspiration into every life that seems to be despairing, out of control and void of hope. Her example and Christ's miracle in her life encourages me that amidst all of my flaws, foibles and funks, I too can experience the love, compassion and freedom from bondage that the Lord so urgently and abundantly wants to give me. My cup runneth over.

The church venerates this great Saint today (puts her next in line to the Blessed Mother in the Litany of Saints) and holds her up as our example of amazing turn-arounds. We love Cinderella stories, don't we? This is THE Cinderella story of all time. We go from "demon-possessed woman without-too-many-scruples" to Apostola Apostolorum - Apostle to the Apostles. God writes straight with crooked lines.

I learned only recently that St. Mary Magdalene is the person who we can thank for the beloved "Easter Egg". According to tradition, during a dinner with the emperor Tiberius Caesar, Mary Magdalene was speaking about Christ's Resurrection. Caesar scoffed at her, saying that a man could rise from the dead no more than the egg in her hand could turn red. Immediately, the egg turned red. Because of this, icons of Mary Magdalene sometimes depict her holding a red egg as you may note above.

PRAYER TO SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy.

Amen.