The Feast of St Mary Magdalene
From the Book of Common Prayer for today’s date:
Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may be healed of all our infirmities and know you in the power of his endless life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
St Mary Magdalene is special to me because she is the Apostle to the Apostles, the very first to proclaim the Resurrection. She carried His message, but more than that, she saw Him, the Risen Lord.
Two years ago, I had the privilege of worshipping in the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Oxford, England – the church that C.S. Lewis attended. The life and witness of St Mary Magdalene reminds us that when we come to Christ, we can trust that He will heal us of what ails us, in body, mind, and spirit — and that He calls us all, men and women alike, to do His work and spread the good news of His kingdom, no matter where we come from or how broken we were to start with.
Lord, help me to follow in St Mary Magdalene’s footsteps, to know You, to love You, and to do Your work in the world!
Related posts:
Dr Holly Ordway came to Christ through reason, in the pursuit of truth. "In your hearts honor Christ as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 15).
She writes about her journey from atheism to orthodox Christian faith in her book "Not God's Type: A Rational Academic Finds a Radical Faith" (Moody Publishers).
