A legendary symbol of God's mercy and grace, Saint Mary Magdalene is considered one of the most holy saints in the Bible. The exact dates of her birth and death are unknown, but we know that she was present with Christ during his public ministry, death and resurrection. She is mentioned at least twelve times in the Gospels.

Mary Magdalene has long been considered a prostitute or sexually immoral in Western Christianity, but Scripture does not support this. It is believed that she was a Jew who lived among the Gentiles and lived like them.

The Gospels agree that Mary was originally a great sinner. When Jesus met her, Jesus cast seven demons out of her. After that, she told several women about this incident, and those women became followers.

It is also debated whether Mary Magdalene is the same nameless woman, the sinner who weeps and washes the feet of Jesus with her hair in the Gospel of John. Scholars have reason to believe that it is the same individual.

While scholars argue about her character, it is what she did in her later life after meeting Jesus that's more important. She was undoubtedly a sinner whom Jesus had to save, demonstrating to us that nobody is beyond God's redemptive grace.

It is believed that during the ministry of Jesus, Mary Magdalene accompanied him as a member of a small group that served him and his disciples.

Mary, like the other women who followed Christ during His ministry, most certainly observed the crucifixion from a distance. Mary was there when Jesus rose from the dead. She went to his tomb to anoint his body, only to discover that the stone had been removed and that Jesus was sitting at the spot where He had been placed. She was the first person to see Him alive again.

It is said that she remained among the first Christians after the death of Christ. It is said that after fourteen years, she and a few other early Church saints were placed on a boat by Jews and left to float aimlessly without either sails or oars. After the boat landed in southern France, she lived alone in a cave for the last few years of her life.

The feast day of Mary Magdalene is July 22. She is the patron saint of converts, penitent sinners, against sexual temptation, pharmacists, tanners and women.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Dabius
Saint Meneleus
Saint Pancharius
Saint Alberic Crescitelli
Saint Joseph of Palestine