Friday, March 12, 2010

St. Mary Magdalene (1st century AD)

Was she Jesus' wife or a whore? It seems that for milleniums people have been more concerned that Mary of Magdala was a sinner rather than a saint. To me, St. Mary Magdalene is unfairly represented since most of what we know comes from legends.
She was born in the 1st century AD in Magdala, Galilee. She is considered to be one of the first disciples of Jesus and his dearest friend. He cleansed her of seven devils.
St. Mary Magdalene was one of the few people who saw Jesus crucified and laid in his tomb. According to the four gospels, she was the first person to see him resurrected.
"Many sins are forgiven her, because she loved so very much," Jesus once said.
It is uncertain as to exactly what St. Mary Magdalene did after his death, but one of the more popular stories is that she spent the end of her life in a cave in France. Her daily intake was the Holy Eucharist administered by angels.
Just before she passed away, she was miraculously transported to the chapel of Maximin. Her estimated age of death was 72 in the 1st century AD.
She is the patron saint of many things such as apothecaries, sexual temptation, and reformed prostitutes. St. Mary Magdalene's feast day is July 22.

No comments: