The Sinful Woman or Mary Magdalene?

In the past few years, I have developed a strong devotion to St. Mary Magdalene, which has led me to want to learn more about her. Anyone who has seen Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ knows that in it, she is identified with the unnamed woman caught in adultery. She has also long been associated with the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair, as well as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus who chose “the better part.” There is perhaps no other figure in the Gospels who causes as much controversy as Mary Magdalene, and biblical scholars disagree over the above interpretations, although there is a long-standing tradition in the Church identifying Mary with both Mary of Bethany and the sinful woman.

Personally, my devotion to Mary Magdalene is intimately connected to her identification with the sinful woman who anointed the feet of Jesus, so I admit I take it a bit personally when people try to insist that this is a case of mistaken identity. That being said, there is something deeper that bothers me about how modern scholars and commentators speak about Mary Magdalene. The modern thought is often that the Church has done her a great disservice by classifying her as a sinner or prostitute, and considers this akin to slander. In a sense, many today believe these “myths” pervade about her specifically to drag her name through the mud, possibly because she was a prominent female figure among the all-male apostles.

My problem with this is that it assumes an incorrect view of sin, forgiveness, and redemption. In attempting to defend Mary, such commentators and feminists are actually giving insult to those who perhaps do struggle with similar sins. Are sexual sins really so horrible that to accuse Mary of having been steeped in them before her conversion is the ultimate insult and slander? That certainly gives a grim outlook for the many, many, many people today who are steeped in just such sin – perhaps not prostituting themselves, but doing practically the same thing by having serial one night stands (the only difference in many cases is the lack of pay). Not that sexual sin should be taken lightly, but doesn’t it seem like the sins of most of the male apostles were much graver than those of Mary Magdalene (if, indeed, she was an adulterer or prostitute)? After all, Mary sinned before she met Jesus, but after her conversion, she loved him to the end, even standing by him at the foot of the cross. The apostles, on the other hand, with the sole exception of John the Beloved, denied Christ after having spent three years as his disciples, and they did so precisely when he was most abandoned and needed them most. If anyone is being shown in a negative light, it is Peter and the apostles, not Mary Magdalene.

And this is precisely the point. Mary’s love for Jesus was so strong because she had been forgiven for so much – “her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love” (Luke 7:47). The nature of her sins do not diminish her greatness nor her sanctity any more than the apostles’ denial of Jesus at his crucifixion negates their subsequent greatness and sanctity (remember that they would all go on to be martyred for their faith in the end). Rather, what these accounts tell us is that God’s mercy can overcome any sin if we just accept his forgiveness. Judas’ sin was only slightly different than that of Peter who openly denied Christ three times in that he betrayed him to his death, but I have heard from different commentators that had he repented and asked for Christ’s forgiveness, even he could have been forgiven and become one of the greatest saints in the Church.

We should not be afraid of our past sins any more than we should be offended by the past sins of others – including, and perhaps especially, the saints. Classifying Mary Magdalene as a former prostitute or adulterous or any other kind of sinner does not diminish her sanctity or slander her name. If it did, then a lot of us would be in serious trouble given the sins in our past. Rather, our sanctity depends not on ourselves, but on the great love and forgiveness of Christ. Mary loved because she was forgiven, and she knew Christ’s love and forgiveness for her. So must we also accept God’s love and forgiveness and live as truly new creations. Perhaps the reason the woman caught in adultery and the sinful woman are unnamed is to highlight this point. She who was once the sinner or the adulteress is no more – she is a new creation in Christ, beloved by God. She is Mary.

PS Her Feast day is July 22nd :)

PRAYER TO SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.
You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy.
Amen.


Read more:http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/mag.htm#ixzz2ZXFOUN5P

(Interesting fact from newadvent.org: Mary could have gotten her name “Magdalene” either from the town/region of Magdala or “possibly from a Talmudic expression meaning "curling women's hair," which the Talmud explains as of an adulteress.” So the idea that she was an adulteress or prostitute is not so far fetched – and again, does not discredit her).