July 22, 2025

July: Day 22: Teaching 1: Saint Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles


July: Day 22: Teaching 1:
Saint Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles

 
(The Aspects of Her Life That We Can and Must Emulate)


By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Myrrhbearer and Equal to the Apostles Mary Magdalene, whose memory is celebrated today, is called "Myrrhbearer" because she was among the women who came to the tomb of Jesus Christ to anoint His most pure body with myrrh, "Equal to the Apostles" because she, like the Apostles, preached the name of Christ and His teaching, and "Magdalene" because of her place of birth in the city of Magdala. She was deeply grateful to Jesus Christ for healing her from demonic possession. She was one of the women who followed Jesus Christ during His ministry to the human race, and loved Him so much that she was not afraid to stand at the cross with the Mother of God during the crucifixion of the Lord. After the Resurrection of the Lord, she and the other women went to the tomb to anoint His body with precious myrrh. For this reason the Lord rewarded her by appearing to her before everyone else after His Resurrection, though after the Mother of God, and commanded her to tell His disciples about His resurrection.

After the Ascension of the Lord, Mary, together with the Most Holy Theotokos and the Apostles, remained in constant prayer, saw the first successes of the Apostolic message and herself preached the gospel in various countries. In Rome, she told Emperor Tiberius about the Resurrection of Christ and accused Pilate of an unfair trial of Jesus Christ: at the same time, they say, Mary presented Tiberius with a red egg as a symbol of rebirth to a new life. From Rome, Mary Magdalene went to Ephesus and there, until her death, helped the Holy Evangelist John the Theologian in the labors of evangelism. In the fifth century, under Emperor Leo, her relics were transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople and placed in the Monastery of Saint Lazarus.

II. Brothers and sisters in the Lord! We have briefly presented before you the life and deeds of Saint Mary Magdalene, as much as our meager information allows. Now it remains for you to strive in your own ways to emulate her in Christian virtues. I urge you to emulate her, sisters in the Lord: for she was to you like a humble and devoted wife. I urge you to emulate her, brothers: for it is shameful for men to yield to women in good deeds. Let all of you emulate her: for this is possible and soul-saving for everyone.

a) Mary Magdalene, being in great distress, sought the Lord's assistance and received from Him a miraculous healing: therefore, you also should earnestly turn to Him in prayer for all your needs – and you shall receive "His grace for help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). Only ask for it with faith, love, and hope: for without faith, the power of God cannot work within us – without love, all faith is "nothing – hope does not disappoint" (Matt. 13:58; 1 Cor. 13:2; Rom. 5:5).

b) Mary Magdalene, in gratitude for the great benefaction bestowed upon her by the Lord, entirely dedicated herself to His service: and you should be loyal to His servants – do not bow on both knees, do not serve God and mammon, but dedicate your entire life to the Lord, for it is His gift – He provides us with "life and breath and everything" (Acts 17:25).

c) Mary Magdalene, having dedicated herself to the service of the Lord, followed Him everywhere and was His most fervent disciple: therefore, you should steadfastly follow in His "footsteps" (1 Peter 2:21), as outlined in the Gospel, diligently hearken to His word in the temples of God, unceasingly study it in your homes, and carefully fulfill His commandments; "for it is not the forgetful hearer, but the doer of the work that will be blessed in his doing" (James 1:25).

d) Mary Magdalene assisted the Lord with her possessions and the labor of her hands: and you should do likewise, even if not personally for Him, which is now impossible for you, then for His Church, which He calls His body (Col. 1:24), and for His lesser brethren – the poor. Every penny spent for their benefit, every crumb given to them, will have a great reward before the Lord: for He Himself says: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these my brethren, you did for me" (Matt. 25:40).

e) Mary Magdalene accompanied the Lord to Golgotha, gazing upon His sufferings on the cross and, as it were, was crucified with Him from sorrow. And you, brothers and sisters, often transport your thoughts to Golgotha, often imagine yourselves at the foot of Christ's cross and contemplate what the Son of God endured "for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:3); and in pondering this, weep for yourselves, lament your sins and fear to crucify the Lord anew (Heb. 6:6), but rather crucify your "flesh" with its "passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24), "that sin may not reign in your mortal body" (Rom. 6:12).

f) Mary Magdalene came to the Savior with fragrances, and not finding Him in the tomb, she sought Him everywhere and fervently until she was worthy to behold Him after His Resurrection. Therefore, you too should approach Him with spiritual incense – with holy prayers (Revelation 5:8), and seek Him mentally everywhere: in God’s temples, where He graciously resides in His mysteries (John 6:56), in visible nature, where He reveals Himself through His might and goodness (Romans 1:20), and within your own heart, where He responds in the voice of your conscience (Romans 2:15). Moreover, strive with your spirit towards heaven, where He "sits at the right hand of God," and thus, "set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Hebrews 10:12; Colossians 3:1–2). By doing so, you may still have a mysterious "fellowship with Christ" (1 John 1:3) here on earth, and in due time, you will be deemed worthy to behold Him "face to face in heaven" (1 Corinthians 13:12; Philippians 3:20).

g) Mary Magdalene openly confessed to all that she was a disciple of the Savior, courageously defended Him before Caesar, and zealously preached His teachings: so act likewise, do not be ashamed to show yourselves always and in everything as true disciples of the Lord, do not fear the reproaches and ridicule that the sons of this age subject "those who wish to live godly" (2 Timothy 3:12), but rather "reprove" their wickedness (Ephesians 5:11) and strive to propagate piety within your circle, instilling it in your children, friends, and household. For this, you shall receive a great reward: for whoever "does" the will of God "and teaches" others to fulfill it, "shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 5:19).

III. This is what Mary Magdalene inspires in us with her life and deeds! Let us try, brothers and sisters, to imitate her in virtues and let us pray to the Lord that He may help us to strive according to her example for the glory of His name, for the good of His Church, for our salvation and that of others. 
 
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.