Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

Today's Mass Readings

Today we remember Mary Magdalene. According to all four Gospels, including today’s reading from the Gospel of John, Mary is the first witness of the resurrected Jesus. Contrary to urban legend, Mary of Magdala was never a prostitute. In fact, scripture scholars would say her prominence in the resurrection story shows she was very important to the early church community and a strong supporter of Jesus’ ministry. In a time when women were not allowed to be witnesses, Jesus’ choosing to reveal himself first to Mary is no small statement. In presenting himself, Jesus gave Mary and us something to hold on to. Yet not all "holding on to" is good. We must be able to distinguish those things that are worth holding on to and those that are not worth holding on to. Take the Israelites in the first reading for instance; “the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” (Ex. 16:2) They blamed their religious leaders for leading them into the desert where they might die. The Israelites grumblings in today’s readings reveal that they would rather be back in Egypt as slaves and hold on to the past. They felt that at least there, they had their daily bread. God heard their grumblings and offered them “bread from heaven.”

Our daily bread is provided in so many ways if we trust in the Lord. Yet often, we are culturally conditioned to be like the Israelites in today’s story. We find ourselves grumbling about the ways we have not been blessed; controlled or at least strongly desiring the materialistic slavery into which most of us were born here in the U.S. We live in a country where most have food, shelter, clothing, clean water, and both education and employment opportunities. The Lord has provided so much to us for which we need to be grateful. And sometimes we tend to hold on to these material manifestations as if they would guide us to eternity.

Like the Israelites, we must present ourselves to the Lord as we hold on to God’s promise; “you shall have your fill of bread.” (Ex 16: 12b) In trusting that the Lord will provide for us, we become like Mary who turns away from the empty tomb to find God’s ultimate bread from heaven, Jesus. Ultimately, only Jesus is worth holding on to. As we go about our day today, let us reflect on those things we need to relinquish and those that we need to hold on to.

“Lord, today we present to You our fears and our discontents. Take that which burdens our hearts and reveal to us a glimpse of Your presence in the people around us and in the very bread we eat. In this way, like Mary Magdalene, our lives will announce, we have seen the Lord. Amen.”

-Michael Montgomery