Friday, July 23, 2021

The "Feast" of Saint Mary Magdalene

On July 22 we observed the recently "upgraded" celebration of Saint Mary Magdalene (from a memorial to a proper Feast Day, with the Gloria and proper readings and preface).

In the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer, the text expresses that the Lord Jesus "appeared in the garden and revealed himself to Mary Magdalene, who had loved him in life, witnessed him dying on the Cross, sought him as he lay in the tomb, and was the first to adore him, newly risen from the dead. He honored her with the office of being an apostle to the Apostles, so that the good news of new life might reach the ends of the earth."

The digital graphics below present the Collect for the Feast Day, and one of the antiphons from the Liturgy of the Hours which represents the "voice" of Mary Magdalene arriving at the tomb on that first Easter morning: