FEAST: JULY 22
Mary Magdalene is one of the most inspiring followers of Christ. While she is never identified specifically, tradition holds that she is the woman caught in adultery that Jesus shows mercy when the crowd wants to stone her. Mary Magdalene repents of her sin and follows Jesus even to the foot of the cross. She is then the first person to encounter Jesus after the resurrection. Archbishop Fulton Sheen tells us while the purity and sinlessness of a woman (in Mary His mother) was the only way for the Son of God to enter the world, it was fitting that a repentant sinner who understood the triumph over sin would welcome Jesus on the morning of the resurrection.
Mary Magdalene is such an inspiration because of the mercy shown to her. In Mary, we can trust the words, ‘Then neither do I condemn you.’ For those who desire His mercy and love, Jesus does not withhold forgiveness to even the most egregious sinners. He then gives us the grace to follow His next command ‘Go and sin no more.’
