According to Pope Francis, this day commemorating St. Mary Madgalene is to be treated liturgically the way you celebrate any apostle. Mary Magdalene is, after all, the first apostle, the first to announce the good news of the resurrection, the apostle to the apostles. The scene of her encounter with the Risen Lord is very poignant. It must have hurt Mary to hear Jesus say to her,“Stop holding on to me.” No doubt she wanted things to stay they way they had been, with her friend walking by her side. Jesus is telling her that this is a new moment. We can’t go back to the way we have always done things. We have to be open to the new thing that God is doing.
JULY222016
By Church Staff
