In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today the Holy Church, shining with the light of the resurrection, exalts the memory of the Myrrh-bearing and Equal-to-the-Apostles Saint Mary Magdalene. She who was once bound by seven demons has become, by the merciful hand of the Savior, an apostle to the apostles, a harbinger of the Light to those who sat in sorrow.
Let us behold this great mystery: that He who cast down the proud and exalts the humble has chosen a woman once broken to be the first witness of His glorious Resurrection. For when the disciples fled, and when Peter wept bitterly, Mary Magdalene stood firm in her love, seeking the Beloved even in the tomb.
O wondrous love, O steadfast devotion! She sought the Living among the dead, but was met by the Gardener of Paradise Himself. And hearing her name, “Mary!” her soul was illumined with the uncreated Light, and she cried out: “Rabboni!”
As the first among the Myrrh-bearers, she bore not only sweet spices, but a heart burning with faith. As Eve once spoke to the serpent in the garden, so now Mary speaks to the risen Christ in the new Garden of the Resurrection. The curse is undone, death is trampled, and the grave has become the gate of Life.
Let us then, O faithful, imitate her holy zeal. Let not the cares of this world make us forget the Lord, nor let the darkness of sin obscure His face from us. For as He delivered Mary from the bondage of demons, so too can He free us from the snares of the passions.
O Saint Mary Magdalene, teacher of the Apostles, adornment of the Myrrh-bearers, intercede for us, that we may behold with pure hearts the face of the risen Christ, and join you in proclaiming:
“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”
To our Lord Jesus Christ be glory, together with His eternal Father, and the all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Amen.
