One of the silent yet ever-present figures in the Passion of Our Lord is Mary of Magdala. Scripture does not give us much in the way of biographical information on her. Jesus cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). She was one of Our Lord’s most faithful followers, as evidenced by her presence at His crucifixion and burial. Upon seeing the resurrected Jesus in the garden on Easter Sunday, He sent her to tell the apostles of His rising (Matthew 28:9-10). This merited for her the title of “apostle to the apostles” by St. Thomas Aquinas. In 2016, Pope Francis elevated the celebration of St. Mary Magdalene from an obligatory memorial to a feast. 

Many Marys in the Gospels

From apocryphal gospels to contemptible fiction novels, St. Mary Magdalene has ever been a fascinating figure. Throughout the centuries, she has been associated with the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53 – 8:11) as well as Mary of Bethany (sister of Martha and Lazarus, Luke 10:38-42), and the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus with ointment.  

As for the woman caught in adultery, there is nothing in the text that directly identifies her as Mary Magdalene. St. John identifies the woman who anointed Jesus as Mary of Bethany (12:1-8), but she is not named in the other three gospels (Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50; passages side-by-side here). The Bible does not directly tie Mary of Bethany to Mary Magdalene. In Cora Evans’ visions, however, they are the same person.  

Mary Magdalene in The Refugee from Heaven 

(This is information about Mary Magdalene according to the mystical visions of Servant of God Cora Evans)

Mary Magdalene’s family was originally from Arabia. Her father was a prince that converted to Judaism; due to persecution they migrated to Magdala in Galilee. Mary had a natural talent for dancing and singing; she had already learned Arabian dances before her family moved. Her natural talent combined with her great beauty caught the eye of Herod, who offered her a position to entertain his court. Despite her parents’ opposition, Mary accepted the job.  Rather quickly, concerns of vanity, selfishness, and pleasure became her priorities.  

Mary was beautiful and untamed; she knew it and loved it. “Her careless way, her beauty, and her style of dress had all the effects of a dazzling, fiery torch upon the men.” (pg. 198) All the girls in town looked up to her, considering her beautiful and exotic; they wanted to dress like her.  For those reasons, the mothers in town held onto a strong dislike of Mary. The passionate side of her relished giving others trouble, especially her mother, sister Martha, and brother Lazarus. Her mother moved the family to Bethany in the hopes of creating some physical distance between Mary and the allures of the world. 

At Bethany, Jesus had visited the home of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and their mother many times. Mary avoided Him at every turn, considering Jesus yet another weak, street preacher.  After being confronted twice in a day that she was wrong about Jesus, Mary dug in her heels.  She concocted a plan to seduce Him the next time Jesus came to visit her family. Mary resented how Jesus had captured the hearts of her family. She sought to entrap Him out of personal pride, but also in the sense that she would be doing the people of Israel a favor. How could a common street preacher be the Messiah? If she could employ her wiles to wreck His career, her fame would explode and Israel would be rid of yet another false messiah. 

More Than Skin Deep

St. John the Baptist, in conversing with Jesus and Jesus’ grandmother (“Granny Mary”), heard about the anguish that Mary of Magdala was causing. St. John did not condone the present offenses, but offered a longer-term perspective: 

“This Mary of Magdala must be a chosen soul of God to be tempted in this manner so soon after her conversion. Sometimes there are souls whom God has chosen for great works who find themselves tempted with the worst of evils, and frequently travel to the very depths of sin before grace finally enlightens them.  And then when they are recaptured by God it is His triumph over evil, for a returning soul of this nature often brings  back other souls to God with it.” (pg. 108)

I think most of us today have family members who have turned away from the Catholic faith in one way or another. I hope that gives some comfort to those that have a Magdalene in their family. Family members must never stop their spiritual fight for their wayward relatives.  

The reason for St. John’s hope was rooted in what was beneath the surface. Despite Mary’s outward persona, disappointment and fear reigned in her heart. Like the Jews of the day, Mary looked forward to the coming Messiah. They ached to be saved from the Romans. This was felt so deeply by the Jews that every messianic pretender felt like a cruel joke. At the same time, if the true Messiah came, their world would never be the same. 

As a child, Mary had actually met Jesus when He was a little boy. The encounter with Him stayed with her through the years. His eyes captivated her; “haunted her and she often found herself instinctively looking for eyes like them in other little boys and later, in men.” (pg. 206).  When the little boy told her about a crucified messiah, it aroused shock and indignance in little Mary. “They wouldn’t crucify Him if I were there.  I wouldn’t let them.” (pg. 206) At five years old, Mary already had a strong will and a fighting heart! Little Jesus then foretold that she would be present at His Passion; it remained a mystery to Mary until she encountered Jesus again in Bethany.  

Mary Meets Jesus in Refugee

Mary’s intentions to encounter the famous Jesus of Nazareth spread through the town like wildfire. Everyone turned out to see the show, whether out of amusement, curiosity, or animosity. Mary prepared with the utmost care, dressing with every exquisite adornment at her disposal. The Arabian prince who had asked for her hand in marriage participated in the spectacle. He provisioned a parade through town for Mary to show off his bride-to-be. Marching slaves, Arabian horses, trumpets, and fanfare accompanied Mary to her mother’s home. Martha warned Jesus and tried to convince Him to avoid the situation. Our Lord merely asked for her trust.  

However Mary thought Jesus might react, she did not expect silence. He did not look at her or speak to her—nor did her family. At Mary’s offended reaction, Jesus bowed, looked briefly at her, and then shut His eyes as if in horror. He spoke to her in her heart with His eyes closed. Jesus overcame all of Mary’s pomp and defenses; He knew the place in her heart that ached for the true Messiah. It was there that Mary was convinced. In just a moment’s time, she was given the great grace to pass from skepticism to faith. Jesus speaking to her heart was like a mighty earthquake that reversed the course of a river.  

Pride Does Not Give Up Easily

The devil does not let conversions go easily, especially those that he has so carefully ensnared. Mary knew exactly the humiliation in store for her if she didn’t “win” the encounter with Jesus. How specific people would react, the looks of scorn on people’s faces, and the relationships that would end. And that was just the start: she would lose her fiancée, wealth, possessions, and entire livelihood as a dancer. Would He pretend for her to save her from public shame?

Jesus would not cooperate in any masquerades. Strangely, Mary felt even more loved by Jesus than she had before. Still unwilling to look at her, Mary was pressed into a decision: choose the world or choose Him. Mary chose Jesus and sought after Him by asking forgiveness of the crowd, giving some of her jewelry and adornments away, and burning others. Some of the crowd forgave her and showed mercy. Many, however, only heaped scorn upon her. Her royal fiancée angrily cursed her and struck her across the face, scarring one of Mary’s sources of great pride. In this we can see the demons trying with their last gasps: see? This is what we said would happen! Hold on to the worldly treasures you had and run away from Jesus before it’s too late!  Although we (rightly) celebrate conversions, we cannot ignore the suffering that converts often have when they turn to Christ.  

Healed People Heal People

St. Mary Magdalene followed Jesus throughout His Passion, fulfilling the promise she’d made to Him as a five-year-old. She would not prevent the crucifixion but accompanied Jesus out of great love.  

No matter the temptation, Mary Magdalene had been won to the banner of Our Lord.  Once convinced, the iron will and fiery passion was now channeled toward growing in holiness.  She sought to serve Our Lord and encounter Him in prayer. It’s no wonder that Satan fought so hard to keep her chained! When gifts like that have a heavenly orientation, St. Catherine of Siena’s words ring true: “be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” 

St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us!