Reflection for Wednesday of Week 16: Which Mary are you? If you could choose your own surname, what would it be?
The name “Mary” was a common one in the time of the New Testament. Apart from the most obvious one being the mother of Jesus, the group that accompanied him included a number of women by that name. Today we celebrate the feast of the Mary from the area of Magdala – thus named Magdalene.
There is always debate about whether or not she was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus; or the woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried it with her hair. What we do know about her for certain is that she was present at the crucifixion and that she was one of the first to discover the empty tomb. Then Jesus appeared first to her after his resurrection and she was the one who ran to tell the apostles.
The gospels of Mark and Luke also tell us that she was the one out of whom Jesus had driven seven demons. This has led some scholars to suggest that Mary was a prostitute, although there is no clear evidence of this. Nevertheless, the biblical number seven is not intended to be taken literally and may indicate a number much greater than that. So Mary was a reformed woman whose life was incredibly changed by Jesus and today is recognised as a saint.
If we had to be named according to our character or personality, would we be happy with it? If not, maybe it is time to consider our part in the world today. When our time comes to leave this earth, will we leave it a better place for having been here? Jesus is prepared to help us to be the best disciples that we can be. Conversion may not be necessary, but commitment certainly is.
I once had a poster which said, “The test of greatness is this – what did you leave to grow?”
Have a spectacular day! Make a difference.
God Bless and stay safe. Dc Mike & the team
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