St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us!

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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the penitent woman of whom Jesus said, "Her many sins have been forgiven--for she has loved much."(Luke 7:47) She is the patron saint of converts. As Christians we are called to continual conversion, and for this reason I think we can all look to her as a patron. Whether you are a "cradle Catholic" or a recent convert you are being called to turn your heart back to Christ daily.

When I imagine St. Mary Magdalene throwing herself at Jesus' feet with abandon and washing them with tears that were mixed with sorrow for her many sins and joy from being in His presence, I am filled with a sense of awe. How great her trust in His mercy must have been! What a beautiful act of her penitence and love! How I wish that I too could throw myself at His feet when I sin and beg for His mercy, trusting that He will forgive me! I admire how bold she was in approaching Him. Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Hebrews that we ought to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy."(Hebrews 4:16) St. Mary Magdalene embodies this confidence perfectly to me.

My prayer is that we may look to St. Mary Magdalene as an example of a true penitent and that her example may inspire us to daily, wholehearted, conversion.

Comments

  1. Fr Seán Coyle11:18 am, July 22, 2011

    Today's feast reminds me of the funeral of the saintly King Baudouin of the Belgians in 1993:

    'The King's funeral Mass, Saturday, included tributes to his actions on behalf of immigrants and AIDS victims, and the moving testimony of a Filipina prostitute who had appealed to him against the trade that brings Asian women to Europe as maids and puts them into massage parlors and escort agencies' [ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-08-12/news/1993224041_1_baudouin-belgium-congo ].

    ReplyDelete
  2. Manny9:43 pm, July 22, 2011

    I never connected it to Mary Magdalene, but I've imagined that to be my reaction if I should see Jesus, throw myself down to his feet.

    ReplyDelete

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