If we were not celebrating the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, we would be celebrating the feast of St. Mary Magdalene.  Since we are looking at other famous people in the Bible in our summer message series, I thought it would be fitting to reflect on this remarkable woman of the New Testament.

First off, there is quite a lot of confusion as to just who she was.  St. Gregory the Great, and others, united three women mentioned in the Gospels as all being Mary Magdalene:  in St. Luke’s Gospel she is explicitly mentioned as “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out” (8:2) and one of the women who followed Jesus and supported His ministry; as the unnamed penitent woman who washed Jesus’ feet and dried them with her hair in the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:37); and with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.  Many Scripture scholars today would argue that they are three different women, and even many of the Church Fathers argued that Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany are different people (in the Eastern Rite both saints have their own feast days). Why the confusion?

Lets start with what we definitely know from the Gospels about St. Mary Magdalene.  As mentioned above, Mary is first mentioned as being one of the women who followed Jesus and support His ministry.  In Luke 8:2 it explicitly says that she was from Magdala, and that Jesus had freed her from seven demons. St. John also calls her “Mary of Magdala” in his Gospel.  He notes that she was one of the Marys that stood at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was crucified (John 19:25). Of course the most famous passage concerning Mary of Magdala is in St. John’s Gospel when she encounters the Risen Christ at the tomb, and is the first to proclaim the resurrection to the Apostles (John 20:1-2, 11-18).  These are the only time that she is mentioned explicitly as being the “Magdalene” or “of Magdala,” so I think we can safely put these as certain facts.

So, why did St. Gregory the Great connect her to the other two women mentioned in the Gospels?  The first one, the unnamed woman who washes Jesus’ feet and dries them with her hair at the home of Simon the Pharisee is not too much of a stretch.  When Jesus is invited to Simon’s home, He had preaching around the Sea of Galilee, so we can assume that Simon lived in that area. Magdala is also a town near the Sea of Galilee; it was a wealthy beach town as it were, which was also known for it rather loose morals.  It would be a easy trip for a woman from Magdala, who after encountering Jesus -- especially if He drove seven demons out of her -- to go to the home of Simon the Pharisee and show her sorrow for her sins. What might support this is that the account of the woman washing Jesus’ feet at Simon’s house (Luke 7:37) is right before St. Luke mentioning Mary Magdalene as one of the women who followed Jesus (Luke 8:2).

Associating Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany is more of a stretch.  First, there is the problem of location. Bethany is nowhere near Magdala.  Bethany is only a few miles from Jerusalem, in the south, whereas Magdala is way up north by the Sea of Galilee.  A person would not be referred to from being from two different towns. So why did St. Gregory associate Mary of Magdala with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus?  Because Mary of Bethany is also mentioned to have washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and to dry them with her hair (John 12:1-11). This happens about a week before Jesus is arrested, and it clearly is stated in the Gospel that it occurs in Bethany, so near Jerusalem.  So there are two times when Jesus’ feet were washed by a woman (with her tears), dried with her hair, and anointed; once in the home of Simon the Pharisee up by the Sea of Galilee, and another time at the home of Lazarus in Bethany shortly before His crucifixion. St. Gregory seems to think that the same woman, St. Mary Magdalene, performed both actions.  Others -- both among the early Church Fathers, and modern scholars -- would argue that it was two different women (St. Mary Magdalene and St. Mary of Bethany) doing the same thing at two different occasions.

Who is correct?  As they say, “that’s above my pay-grade” to say.  What is clear is that Mary Magdalene was a woman who at one time was steeped in sin, and Jesus set her free.  After her encounter with Jesus, St. Mary Magdalene’s life was completely transformed, and Jesus honored her transformed life by having her be the first to proclaim His resurrection.

All of us are stained by sin, and Jesus has freed all of us from our sins through His death on the cross.  All of us are called to have our lives totally transformed by our encounter with Jesus, and then to proclaim that Good News to everyone we meet.  May St. Mary Magdalene make evangelists out of all of us.