Many people react with surprise when I say that Mary Magdalene is my favorite Bible character, and their surprise reveals how deeply her story has been misunderstood. Mary of Magdala emerges from the Gospels as a devoted disciple whose reputation has been clouded by centuries of mistaken identity and popular myth. Her devotion was fierce and tender; she went to the tomb at dawn, driven by love and a desire to care for Jesus even after his death, and in her grief, she mistook the risen Lord for a gardener until he spoke her name. Because she stood by the cross and was the first to witness and proclaim the resurrection, Christ entrusted her with the first apostolic message, a role the Church has long honored with the title “apostola apostolorum”. That commission reveals the theological truth that God entrusts the greatest news to the faithful, regardless of gender or social standing. Mary’s courage in visiting the tomb on the third day shows her to be a woman of substance and a risk-taker whose witness transforms sorrow into mission.
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Mary Magdalene stands at the heart of the resurrection story as a courageous witness whose devotion overturns misunderstanding and invites the Church to deeper reverence. Whether in the Philippines and everywhere, her example calls believers to risk, to fidelity, and to proclamation.
Mary of Magdala appears in the Gospels as a devoted follower who remained at the cross and returned to the tomb in the dark hours. John records her weeping at the empty tomb, her mistaking the risen Lord for a gardener, and the moment Christ calls her by name.
She carries the weight of centuries of misreading. The long-standing claim that she was a repentant prostitute grew from later conflations that started from a confused and misinformed homily of a pope and not from the Gospel texts themselves. Restoring her true identity recovers a disciple who was healed, who followed, and who served.
Her passion for Christ shows itself in action and in risk. She went to the tomb early on the first day of the week while it was still dark, a choice that exposed her to social censure and physical danger and placed her at the center of the resurrection narrative.
That she was the first to see the risen Lord matters for theology and for mission. When Jesus speaks her name, she recognizes him, and that intimate revelation transforms grief into mission. Her encounter models how personal recognition of the risen Christ sends a disciple outward.
The Church has long honored her witness with a title that captures her role. She is called the apostle to the apostles because she carried the first proclamation of the resurrection to the Twelve, making her the first evangelist of the risen Christ.
Papal and liturgical recognition has followed this insight. In 2016, Pope Francis elevated her liturgical celebration to the rank of a feast to highlight the dignity of women and the new evangelization, inviting the faithful to listen again to her testimony.
Mary’s fidelity challenges assumptions about who may be entrusted with the Gospel. Her courage, presence at the cross, and willingness to stand at the tomb show that discipleship is measured by love and steadfastness rather than by social standing.
Her story speaks to those who feel marginalized. From one healed by Christ, she becomes the bearer of the greatest news, a transformation that offers dignity, purpose, and a call to mission for every believer.
Theologically, her witness presses the Church to attend to the feminine face of apostolic witness. Honoring Mary Magdalene invites a fuller understanding of how God chooses messengers and how the Spirit empowers the humble to proclaim salvation.
Spiritually, she teaches how sorrow becomes service. Her tears at the tomb become the fuel for proclamation when she hears her name and is sent to tell the disciples that Christ is risen. That movement from grief to mission remains a pattern for Christian life.
To reclaim Mary Magdalene is to reclaim a model of faithful risk-taking. Her example calls Filipino believers and beyond to stand where others flee, to listen for the voice that names them, and to run with the news of resurrection.
May the Church continue to restore her story with clarity and reverence so that Mary of Magdala inspires new generations to witness boldly, to love without reserve, and to proclaim the risen Lord with hearts aflame.