Wednesday July 22, 2026

John 20:1-2,11-18

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb.

Today we celebrate the feast day of St Mary of Magdala. What a fascinating woman she must have been. I wish her gospel account of the life of Jesus had made it into the canon. I gotta tell you a story about a woman in Lebanon Ky who made an appointment with me. I was a young priest then fresh out of seminary. Well this angel of a person in Lebanon came to see me. In our meeting she said “father my issue is with Mary Magdalene. If that woman thinks she will have Jesus all to herself in heaven, she has another thing coming to her. I love love our Lord!” Seminary had not prepared me for such a love and my response was “….I think there is enough Jesus to go around…”

I had no idea how women love. Well let me say some women. It is a different kind of love than I have for our Lord. Mary Magdala loved our Lord. Not even the Roman soldiers would scare her and the other Marys away. My favorite episode is when she recognizes him. Scripture says she embraced him. I think she threw herself into his arms and gave him the biggest maybe most awkward hug. She would not let go!! Scripture says Jesus told her “let me go…”. Anyway do you have a friend like that? Can you be or are you a friend like that? I love it when I meet people who have been friends since grade school. If you have kept a friendship over 25+ years or since grade school there is something special about you.

Today check on your friend.