In this episode of Life, Love, & Light podcasts, we search for the identity of Mary Magdalene in the four canonical Gospels. Was she the public sinner who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair? The unnamed woman with the alabaster jar or perfume who anointed Jesus' head? The woman who anointed the feet of Jesus for burial with an ointment made of pure nard? Or the woman caught in adultery? For centuries, Magdalene has been associated with each of these women, by popes and painters, scholars and theologians. We delve into the mystery of Magdalene by examining both text and context and discover a woman who is unique among all those named "Mary" in the Gospels. A woman of stature, compassion, and great courage, as well as a model of obedient discipleship, Magdalene emerges as a mystic and a witness: the "apostle to the apostles." She is also an example for us of faith in the midst of terrible darkness and of joy emerging out of deepest sorrow. Like Julian of Norwich, Mary Magdalene is a woman for our time.
PLEASE SHARE this podcast with family and friends who long to know and to experience, like Magdalene, the gratitude of being cured of personal demons, the desire to follow Jesus – even to the cross – and the ecstatic elation of bearing witnesses to the resurrection.
Blessings to all!