There was a mine down in Bisbee called the Irish Mag, which a miner named for his favorite entertainer. She got her nickname from the false association of Mary Magdalene, a woman healed by Jesus, with a woman caught in adultery or a woman anointing Jesus' feet with precious oil. Mary had been as desperate as the woman about to be stoned; she was as grateful as the woman preparing Jesus for his Burial.
What we do know about her is her dilemma and distress, her deliverance and dignity restored, her response of love and faithful follower-ship, and her witness to the one who delivered her from demons and who was himself to lead us all from death to life.
She was a witness: one of the last to see him living and the first to see him raised. She was a witness; the messenger to the apostles of the risen Lord, the first to proclaim the good news.
What we know of her helps us sort out the meaning of the strange parable of the wheat and the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). Workers report to their employer that weeds are growing up amidst the wheat they planted. The farmer takes a puzzling course. He could have had the workers pull or hoe or poison the weeds once they'd sprouted and been spotted. But instead he tells them to leave weeds and wheat to grow up together, and wait to sort them out until the harvest time.
The farmer’s patience and wisdom led to something surprising that makes more sense if we realize Jesus was talking about a harvest of souls - and that the time was ripe.
Remember, he said that "the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few." (Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2) The harvest time is now - for Mary of Magdala. A woman worn down by afflictions, she becomes one of the greatest of disciples.
Magdala is a small ancient town site along the lakeshore of Gennesaret better known in the Bible stories as the Sea of Galilee. On the west side of the lake south of the incoming stream of the Jordan are a series of places well known to pilgrims: Capernaum (where Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law) then Tabgha (the multiplication of the fishes), Ginosaur, and Magdala. Inland from the ancient site is a modern Arab/Israeli village, Migdal. Recent excavations reveal anew the importance of these small ancient villages.
Along the lakeshore where Jesus first began his ministry, proclaiming and healing, he encountered this woman. (Luke 8:2, Mark 16:9) And something extraordinary happened. In the midst of her affliction he blessed her with unconditional love. He never confused her quandary with the person that God loved. And as a result of this personal encounter with Jesus her dignity was restored. She became an icon of hope for all who are broken in heart or spirit or body or mind.
And this freedom, and her devoted discipleship, prepared her for something even more extraordinary. For she was a witness - one of the last to see Jesus living, and then - the first to see him risen. A personal encounter with Jesus that transformed the world. For she, the first witness of the resurrection, was sent by Jesus to bear the good news to his apostles, the ones commissioned to take this message to all peoples.
The Irish Mag is long since played out, but this woman’s witness lives on.
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. The Parable of the Weeds of the Field (the Wheat and the Tares).
Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene (July 22)
https://www.bisbeeminingandminerals.com/irish-mag
https://thediggings.com/mines/22579
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