The Best Part
Image of the Magdalen from my wall at home.
If I am asked who my favourite saint is (excluding of course, Our Blessed Mother), there are three answers I could give. They are, similar to Dante’s helpers, my three “heavenly ladies” as it were. One should be obvious to readers of this site, as it is our patroness St. Cecilia! The second is probably the most clear to any friends of mine, as I am veritably obsessed with St. Therese. The third and final “favourite” though, is perhaps the closest to my heart, and the incredible saint we celebrate today: St. Mary Magdalen.
“Three Saints, have been more pleasing to me than all others: Mary my Mother, John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene.”
I love St. Mary Magdalen, and it is actually very difficult for me to express just how deep that love goes. Merely the thought of her whilst reciting the Office of her feast was enough to bring me close to tears. When speaking of the Magdalen, I associate with her what the tradition in the West had always done: namely, that she is identified with three women in the Gospels. Of course, she is the Mary Magdalen from whom seven demons were cast, and who is at the foot of the cross and first witness to the resurrection. Traditionally however, the West has also identified her with the sinful woman who annoints the feet of Christ, the one who “loved much.” This is the Gospel passage appointed for today. Thirdly, she is identified as Mary of Bethany, sister to Martha and Lazarus, who also anointed Our Lord with perfumed oil. There is no doubt in my mind that all three of this women are indeed Mary Magdalen. When one takes all of their stories together then, it paints an incredible picture of a woman who loved Christ so ardently that it beggars the imagination. See her there, always at his feet! She refuses to ever be away from him: I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him: and I will not let him go.
“But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
From a liturgical perspective Mary Magdalen holds a unique place as well. She is the only Saint identified in the Missal by the title: penitent. She is not a virgin, nor mother, nor widow, as other female saints would be identified. Rather, her incredible sanctity comes from her penitence, her miraculous conversion from the greatest of sinners to the holiest of saints. Far beyond simply sins againts the sixth and ninth commandments, St. Gregory the Great says she committed sins we cannot even imagine. But, as the Gospel narrative shows, and St. John Chrysostom attests to, her radical love and conversion made her purer than a virgin. What an example of penitence for us, who also so deeply need God’s mercy!
Honestly, I could go on and on for pages about Mary Magdalen, so I’ll stop. The stories of no other character in the Gospels rest so firmly in my mind. To aid in contemplation I’ve selected a couple musical pieces to enjoy. The first is a collection of medieval songs about the Saint, that have been arranged in a more-or-less folk style. It’s just two female voices with some decent to good folk instrumentation, and a lot of it is very catchy:
The second is actually a Sequence that was formerly appointed for her feast. I got the text from the masterful Liturgical Year of Dom Prosper Gueranger, whose reflections on the feast (scroll down for the English text of the song below) are well worth reading.
Oh Maria Magdalena! Greatest sinner to greatest of saints, pray for us poor sinners!
Sancta Maria Magdalena, ora pro nobis!
Sancta Caecilia, or pro nobis!
