Everyone knows the story about St. Mary Magdalene: she was a public sinner, and washed Our Lord’s feet with her tears of repentance, dried them with her long hair, and poured expensive perfume over them, thereby gaining Our Lord’s pity, forgiveness, and love.
But is that all? Not exactly. St. Mary Magdalene had two siblings: Martha and Lazarus. The name “Magdalene” came from the castle she inherited, Magdelo. While Lazarus concentrated on knighthood, and Martha on running her siblings’ parts of the inheritance, Mary concentrated on her beauty and other delights of the body. Hence, she became known as a public sinner. But she was blessed with the graces to realize her sinful ways and to see that Our Lord was more than just a prophet. Going to Him, she confessed her guilt and showed how much she loved Him. Our Lord’s Sacred Heart returned her love a thousandfold, and forgave her sins.
The Sacred Heart is full of love, just waiting to shower us with it. St. Mary Magdalene showed, by her actions, how much she loved the Sacred Heart, and the Sacred Heart loved her back. The Sacred Heart is patient, kind, and merciful. Even a sinner so great as St. Mary Magdalene is so deeply loved by the Sacred Heart.
St. Mary Magdalene loved Christ so much that she was present at the foot of the Cross, being bathed with His Precious Blood. One look from His Holy Face rekindled her great love for Him and his Sacred Heart. She knew she was unworthy to be present there on Calvary, but how could she let Him die alone? He, whom she loved so much. His Holy Face reflected the love He had shown her in His Sacred Heart when He said: “Thy sins are forgiven thee.” She was ready to do anything for her God and King, even watch Him die in agony.
The joy of her heart to see His Holy Face and hear His patient voice calling her at the resurrection is impossible to recapture. Knowing everything she had done to hurt Him; every sin was another blow to His Holy Face, and seeing that Face so patiently and lovingly looking at her must have been like heaven on earth!
The lesson for us Sodality of Charity members is to keep in mind the devotions to the Sacred Heart and the Holy Face. They are great devotions of charity, and even though St. Mary Magdalene was a public sinner, Our Lord loved her. Our charity should be the same. Even though someone may be annoying to us, we should remember how much Our Lord loved St. Mary Magdalene. Or if we are the St. Mary Magdalene, we should remember that the Sacred Heart is always ready to love us, if only we love Him first. We are like St. Mary Magdalene, and just like she showed her love and repentance by washing His feet with her tears, we should show our love and repentance by devotion to His Holy Face and Sacred Heart.
