Words of wisdom

Mary Magdalene and Jesus outside the Tomb
by Fra Angelico (1387-1455)

From the Seton Home Study School newsletter:

After Our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead on that glorious first Easter Sunday morning, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, one of the disciples. Only the twelve apostles were the first official witnesses to Jesus’ Resurrection and His appearances (Acts 10:39-42), but she was the first to tell the apostles that Jesus had risen. Because of this great and unique privilege and her life of penance after her conversion during Jesus’ public ministry, she has been revered by the Church since early times. Her life proposes an edifying example to home schooling families.

Mary Magdalene was a public sinner who repented after she met Jesus. Because she was sorry for her sins, Jesus forgave her, but He told her to go and sin no more. Her repentance teaches us and our children about the infinite love and forgiveness that Jesus has for those who are sorry for their sins. Her life teaches us and our children the importance of being truly sorry for our sins, of humbly asking for forgiveness. It shows us, however, that mere sorrow and repentance for past sins is insufficient. We must also do penance for our past sins, and be determined to “sin no more.”

Last night we watched The Passion of the Christ. I never remember just exactly how hard it is to get through that movie. The younger boys watched it. I really didn't think they'd make it through the entire thing, but they did. I think there were some parts that Michael (10) did not understand, although we tried to explain most of it. Francis understood all of it and knew what was coming based on the bible history he's had for four years, and his memory of the Gospels.

One part that confused Michael was the apostles' fear. He had no understanding of why Jesus was crucified -- the fear felt by the Jews who persecuted Him. I tried to explain that they were afraid of Jesus and tried to put it in modern-day terms.

Because of what is going on in our world today, the persecution of Christians, I often think how important it will be in years to come for our children to be Soldiers of Christ. And in The Passion, when Jesus said, "No slave is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you," it struck fear in this mother's heart. Will my children be ready to fight for the Lord? Who knows what they will need to face in their lifetime?

But, watching the crucifixion last night, it struck me that the only followers of Christ who had the courage to stay 'til the end, were His Mother, Mary Magdalene, and John. And I remembered the end of this from the article in the Seton newsletter:

Mary Magdalene was at the foot of the Cross with Mary, the Blessed Mother of Jesus. When almost all the disciples had fled out of fear, Mary Magdalene was willing to stand up with Jesus in spite of the mocking crowd, in spite of the soldiers’ fearful and savage treatment of Jesus. This witness of Mary Magdalene helps us and our children realize that there will be times in our lives when being a Christian and standing up for Christian values will be difficult. Part of the difficulty is knowing that, even as we testify to the truth and to the proper moral life, we ourselves often fail to live up to the ideals that we espouse. We should pray to Mary Magdalene in such situations; she will help us to have the courage we need to witness to Jesus despite our own unworthiness.

Mary Magdalene was the first to run and tell the apostles that “He is risen!” Mary Magdalene, a repentant sinner, was the first to carry the most important message in history, from the Risen Christ to the leaders of His Church: “He is risen!” We need to remind ourselves and our children that Jesus is counting on us, His followers, to carry the Gospel Message to others in our community. Our lessons in our Catholic faith are not to be kept within us but to be shared and put into practice.