 | Mary Magdalen (Celebrated July 22)
Best known during the Middle Ages as the prostitute who became a faithful follower of Christ, Mary Magdalen was the most beloved female saint after the Virgin Mary in Europe. Today, there seems to be much speculation that the unnamed prostitute (female sinner) that precedes the passage with the story of Mary Magdalen was not in fact the same person. And with all the Marys in the bible there is room for confusion. There's Mary, the mother, Mary who caused such consternation to her sister, the excellent host, Martha, Mary Magdalen from whom Jesus chased away evil spirits and the unnamed prostitute assumed to be Mary Magdalen.
Whether Mary Magdalen was a sinner or just a person exorcised and cured by Jesus, one thing is certain. She became a close friend to Christ and followed him faithfully all his life. She was with the Virgin at the Calvary when Jesus was crucified and kissed his feet when his lifeless body was taken down so as not to stay out during the Sabbath. She went to the tomb where Jesus was buried and witnessed the resurrection first hand. Jesus asked her to tell his brothers that he was "returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
In art she is usually depicted as a young woman with long wavy hair. Sometimes she carries an ointment jar many times made of alabaster. She is the patron saint of prostitutes, glove makers, hairdressers, penitent sinners, people ridiculed for piety, perfumes and perfumeries, reformed prostitutes, tanners and sexual temptation. |