Thoughts for the Day

Soon afterwards Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

While I served as a Diocesan Officer in Worcester, the Bishop decided to hold a 'Go tell Sunday', based on Jesus' words to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection when he tells her to inform the disciples that he has risen. Bishop Philip expected all the parishes to celebrate the ministry of women by using their talents in worship on that day. I had been ordained Deacon, but there were no women priests as yet. On that Sunday I was due to preach in Bredon in the morning and in the evening in the cathedral. It would have been a truly wonderful day, as I am sure it was in many churches, except that I felt so ill, and indeed ended up in hospital having an emergency appendectomy the following day. But what it did do was to make all of us look again at Mary Magdalene and at her importance in the gospel story.

Mary was a faithful follower of Jesus, likely from Magdala in Galilee. Her name is the Greek version of Miriam. We know little about her other than she was part of a group of women who travelled with Jesus and his disciples, and supported them out of their own funds. She was healed of some kind of mental illness, and there are queries about whether she was the woman who washed Jesus' feet. We do know she was a witness to Jesus' death, for when the men (other than John) had fled, she and other women stayed at the cross. Mary also witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. She visited the tomb and according to John's Gospel met Jesus who told her to 'Go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’ '. (John 20.1-13)

Lord Jesus Christ,
let us never ignore the simple instructions
that You give to us.
The message that Mary Magdalene
took to the disciples
was to stir Peter and the other disciples
to go and look at the empty tomb
even though at first they did not believe.
May we never ignore those who bring
the Good News of the Gospel to us,
but welcome them with joy.
Amen.