Theme: Mary Magdalene teaches us that when we awaken to the Divine Presence within, we discover our sacred worth, find the courage to speak our truth, and become bearers of God's transforming love.

Welcome and Gathering

Beloved friends,

Welcome to our celebration of the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene—Apostle to the Apostles, faithful companion of Jesus, and courageous witness to resurrection hope. Today we honor a woman whose love was stronger than fear, whose faith carried her through grief, and whose heart was open enough to recognize the Risen Christ when he called her name.

For centuries, Mary Magdalene's voice was overlooked, misunderstood, and sometimes silenced. Yet her witness endured. In the rediscovered Gospel of Mary, we encounter a woman of wisdom, courage, and deep spiritual insight whose message speaks powerfully to our own time. She reminds us that the Divine Presence dwells within every person and that no spiritual authority is greater than the voice of God speaking in our hearts.

Like Mary Magdalene, we are invited to trust that sacred wisdom, embrace our belovedness, and become witnesses of resurrection hope in our world. We are called to listen for Christ speaking our name, awakening us to who we truly are—beloved, gifted, and called to share God's love with others.

As we gather around this open table, may we experience the transforming presence of Divine Love in our midst and recommit ourselves to building a community where:

All are welcome.
All are beloved.
All are valued.
All are called.

Amen. Alleluia!

Gathering Song:, Courageous Women

Courageous Women by Jan Novotka - Video by Mary Theresa Streck, ARCWP, and Juanita Cordero, ARCWP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8YdXUl4ZsQ

Women of the Church by Carey Landry - Video by Mary Theresa Streck, ARCWP

https://youtu.be/Q-H1vOQDFEc

Refrain

Women of the Church, how rich is your legacy!

Women of the Church, how great is your faith!

Women of the Church, wellsprings of integrity,

Lead us in the ways of Peace!

1. Women at the foot of the Cross,

Fearless and truly faithful friends,

First ones to see the Risen One of Life

And the first to tell good news.

2. Companions and disciples of Jesus,

chosen and called by name,

witnesses of wisdom, weavers of the Word,

lead us in the ways of Truth!

Transformation Rite

Presider:
Beloved community, today we stand with Mary Magdalene—
apostle, witness, and bearer of Good News.

She reminds us
that nothing in our lives—
no failure, no fear, no past wound—
can separate us from the love of God
that lives within us.

And yet, there are moments
when we forget this truth…
we silence the voice within us
that calls us to love.

Let us pause…

(Pause for silent reflection)

Bring to mind a moment
when you doubted your worth
or turned away from your inner wisdom.

(Pause — invite gesture: hand over heart)

Now, hear again
the voice of the Risen Christ
calling your name—
as he called Mary in the garden.

(Pause)

Presider:
Holy One,
you call each of us by name
and awaken us to who we truly are—
beloved, whole, and radiant with your presence.

Receive now all that we release:
our our fear, our hesitation—
and transform them into courage,
compassion, and new life.

All:
We release all that keeps us from love.
We embrace our sacred worth.
We trust the Divine Presence within us.
Like Mary Magdalene,
we rise to proclaim Good News.
Amen. Alleluia!

Gloria: (sung or recited)

Glory to God by Marty Haugen - video by Bridget Mary Meehan and Mary Theresa Streck

https://youtu.be/udjH7EON5IY

Gloria for Mary Magdalene

Glory to God,
Source of love and life,
dwelling within us and among us!

Glory to the Holy One
who calls each of us by name
and sends us forth as witnesses
to healing and hope.

We praise you
for Mary Magdalene—
faithful disciple,
apostle to the apostles,
first witness of the resurrection.

In her courage, we find our voice.
In her love, we find our strength.
In her witness, we find our call.

Glory to you, Holy Wisdom,
who frees us from anxiety
and awakens us to our sacred dignity.

You call us
to rise,
to speak,
to proclaim Good News
with bold and joyful hearts.

For you are the Love that heals us,
the Light that guides us,
and the courage that sends us forth—
now and forever.

Amen. Alleluia!

Presider:

Opening Prayer

Loving and Liberating God,

Today we celebrate Mary Magdalene,
apostle to the apostles,
friend of Jesus,
and faithful witness to resurrection.

When grief clouded her vision,
you called her by name.
When fear threatened to overwhelm her,
you filled her heart with hope.
When others doubted,
you entrusted her with the Good News.

Call us by name today.

Like Mary,
may we become messengers of hope,
companions to those who suffer,
builders of inclusive communities,
and joyful witnesses to resurrection life.

We pray in the name of Jesus,
our brother and companion,
and in the power of the Holy Spirit,
Sophia-Wisdom,
who lives and breathes within us.

Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

Our First Reading is from Mary Magdalene Revealed

Mary Magdalene’s gospel starts with missing pages. These are the word we can’t get back, this is the wisdom, the voice of Christ from the heart of a woman, that was torn out and most likely destroyed before the rest of her gospel was buried. There was something so incendiary in these first six pages that her gospel starts on page 7.

The point of Mary’ s gospel is not to suggest that we need to become someone else, someone “better.”

It’s about acquiring a vision that allows us to see what has always been here, within you. It’ about the quality and intensity of our existence. It’s about the possibility of actually being present, instead of being caught without even realizing it in the endless stories the ego tell; from the second we wake up, dividing us from what’s already here, dividing us from each other and ourselves, dividing us from what we consider good, or God. It’s about really waking up to the fact that our system of understanding the world is no longer serving us.

It’s more of a series of perpetual moments when you remember that you don’t have to feel separate from love-if you don’t want to. Even in the midst of the worst of what we say to ourselves, even when someone we love most in the world can't see us at all, we can practice a way that humbles us, that disrupts the ego's grasp, and let us return again, with ease (even eventually, with levity) to love.

And in that moment of recognition, this is when we save ourselves from the self that was never real to begin. This is where we see with the eye of the heart.

These are the sacred words of Meggan Watterson, in the Introduction to Mary Magdalene Revealed and we affirm them by saying,

All: Amen

Psalm of Awakening (119, contemporary version by Bridget Mary Meehan)

Response:
All: The Light of Divine Love shines within me.

Holy One,
you call me by name
as you called Mary in the garden.
In moments of sorrow and uncertainty,
your gentle voice awakens my heart
to the sacred presence within.

All: The Light of Divine Love shines within me.

When fear clouds my vision
and doubt dims my hope,
you remind me that I am beloved,
held in your compassion,
and surrounded by your grace.

All: The Light of Divine Love shines within me.

Your Wisdom speaks
in the quiet of my heart,
in the beauty of creation,
in the voices of those who love me,
and in the longing for justice and peace
that stirs within my soul.

All: The Light of Divine Love shines within me.

Guide my steps
along the path of courage and compassion.
Help me trust the sacred wisdom
you have planted within me,
that I may become
a bearer of healing,
a seeker of truth,
and a witness to hope.

All: The Light of Divine Love shines within me.

May I recognize your presence
in every person,
in every creature,
and in every moment of my life.
May I live with an open heart,
welcoming others
as beloved members of your family.

All: The Light of Divine Love shines within me.

Like Mary Magdalene,
may I rise each day
to proclaim Good News:
that love is stronger than fear,
hope is stronger than despair,
and resurrection is always possible.

All: The Light of Divine Love shines within me. Amen. Alleluia!

Second Reading: Romans (8:26-27)

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult time of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs and enlarged in the waiting. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

Meanwhile the moment we get tired in the waiting God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. God’s Spirit does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. She knows us far better than we know ourselves; knows our pregnant condition and keeps us present before God.

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

These are sacred words of Paul, apostle to the Gentiles, and we affirm them by saying:

All: Amen.

Alleluia: Jan Phillips

https://youtu.be/IC4nbwmQDVw

Gospel:

John 20: 11–18 (NRSVUE)

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.
They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”
Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.

These are the sacred words in the Gospel of John and we respond to them by saying Amen

Reading from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Selections)

Reader:
A reading from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

Mary teaches that salvation is not found in external rituals,
but through inner transformation and awakening to the Divine within:

The Savior said,
“There is no sin,
but it is you who create sin
when you act against your true nature…
This is why the Good has come among you—
to restore each one
to their deepest root.”

This teaching reflects an early Christian vision
of God’s presence alive within every person—
calling us to wholeness and transformation.

After Jesus’ departure, the disciples are filled with fear and uncertainty.

But Mary rises among them
as a voice of courage and hope:

Mary stood up and said to her brothers and sisters:
“Do not weep or be afraid.
Do not let your hearts be divided.
His grace will be with you
and will shelter you.”

She then shares the wisdom and vision
she received from the Savior—
taking her place as a leader
within the community.

Yet not all accept her voice.
Peter questions her authority, saying:

“Did he really speak with a woman
without our knowledge?
Are we to listen to her?
Did he prefer her to us?”

But Levi responds with clarity and conviction:

“If the Savior made her worthy,
who are you to reject her?
Surely he knows her well.
That is why he loved her.”

Reader:
In this sacred story,
we glimpse both the struggle and the promise
of the early Christian community—

a tension between fear and courage,
between exclusion and inclusion,
between hierarchy and equality.

And we are reminded
that the Spirit continues to call
each of us—
women and men alike—
to lead, to speak,
and to proclaim the Good News of love.

All:
Thanks be to God.

Homily: Mary Magdalene: Voice of Courage, Wisdom, and Radical Love

Beloved community,

One of the most moving moments in all of Scripture occurs in today's Gospel.

Mary Magdalene stands outside the tomb weeping. She has lost the one she loved. The future she imagined has collapsed. Her heart is broken.

Then everything changes with a single word:

"Mary."

Jesus calls her by name.

In that moment she recognizes him.
In that moment grief becomes hope.
In that moment despair gives way to resurrection.

Isn't that how God often works in our lives?

Not through dramatic miracles or displays of power, but through moments when we remember who we truly are—beloved, held in love, and never alone.

That is Mary Magdalene's gift to us. She teaches us that resurrection begins when we awaken to the Divine Presence already within us and among us. There is no spiritual authority greater than the presence of God within us. Like Mary, we are invited to trust that sacred wisdom, embrace our belovedness, and become witnesses of resurrection hope in our world.

Today we celebrate Mary Magdalene not only as a faithful disciple of Jesus, but as the first witness of the Resurrection and the first apostle sent to proclaim the Good News. That is why the early Church honored her as apostola apostolorum—the Apostle to the Apostles.

We also honor her through the rediscovered Gospel of Mary, a sacred text hidden for centuries and brought to light in our own time. As scholar Karen King observes, this Gospel reveals an early Christian community in which spiritual authority flowed not from hierarchy but from a transformative encounter with the Risen Christ. Mary emerges as teacher, visionary, and leader—one whose wisdom springs from her experience of Divine Love.

Although portions of the text are missing, what remains offers a profoundly liberating vision of the Gospel.

Mary's message invites us to recognize the goodness already present within us—the divine spark waiting to be awakened. Salvation is not found primarily in external rituals but in inner transformation, a journey of healing and remembering who we truly are. We are called to become fully human, fully alive, reflecting the image of Divine Love in the world.

Most importantly, Mary reminds us that the Spirit speaks within us. No institution, hierarchy, or external authority can extinguish the voice of God alive in the depths of our being. Her Gospel also reveals the interconnectedness of all life and our place within the sacred web of creation.

After Jesus' death, the disciples are fearful and uncertain. It is Mary who rises and offers words of encouragement:

"Do not weep. Do not be afraid. His grace will be with you."

She becomes the voice of courage when others are overwhelmed by fear.

Yet Peter questions her authority. And Levi responds with words that still challenge us today:

"If the Savior made her worthy, who are you to reject her?"

This is more than an ancient conflict. It is a story that continues wherever people are excluded, their gifts questioned, or their voices dismissed. It is also the story of the Spirit continually breaking through barriers and calling new leaders forth.

Mary Magdalene stands before us as a radiant witness to the feminine face of God—a leader, teacher, and herald of resurrection life. Her witness invites us beyond exclusion, beyond sexism, beyond every system that diminishes human dignity.

In Praying with Women of the Bible, I imagined Mary Magdalene standing in St. Peter's Basilica today. What would she say about women's leadership in the Church?

I believe she would proclaim:

"The Risen One chose me to announce the Good News. The Spirit that called me calls women still. You cannot suppress what God has anointed."

Her message remains as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.

So today we do not remember Mary Magdalene simply as a figure from the past. We recognize her as a living presence in a Church that is still being born—a Church of equals, a Church of open tables, a Church where every voice matters and every call is honored.

Mary's Gospel survived not by accident but by grace. Hidden, buried, and nearly forgotten, it waited to be rediscovered. Perhaps its greatest gift is the reminder that God's Spirit continues to speak through voices that have too often been silenced.

And so I invite you to listen—to Mary's voice, to the Spirit within you, and to the voices of those whose wisdom has yet to be fully heard.

Because the same Spirit that called Mary calls each of us.

To speak.
To lead.
To love.
To heal.
To proclaim Good News.

Together, may we rise as apostles of a new day, bearers of radical love, and builders of inclusive communities where all are welcomed, all are valued, and all are loved.

Amen. Alleluia.

Community Sharing: (Select one or more questions for a dialogue homily.)

After hearing today's readings and reflection, let us take a few moments to share what touched our hearts.

1. In today's Gospel, Mary Magdalene recognizes the Risen Christ when he calls her by name. When have you experienced God calling you by name or awakening you to a deeper sense of who you are?

2. What part of Mary Magdalene's story speaks most powerfully to you today?

Communal Statement of Faith

All:

We believe in God,
Holy Mystery and Boundless Love,
the Source of Life
who dwells within us,
among us,
and throughout all creation.

We believe in Jesus,
our brother and companion on the journey,
who revealed God's unconditional love,
welcomed those on the margins,
healed the brokenhearted,
and proclaimed the reign of God
where all are welcomed,
all are valued,
and all are loved.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
Sophia-Wisdom,
alive in every person,
guiding us through the voice of conscience,
the wisdom of experience,
the beauty of creation,
and the longing for justice and peace.

We believe in Mary Magdalene,
Apostle to the Apostles,
faithful disciple and witness to the Resurrection.
Through her courage and love,
we learn to trust the Divine Presence within us
and to proclaim Good News with boldness and joy.

We believe that spiritual authority flows
from our encounter with the Living Christ
and from the sacred dignity
bestowed upon every person by God.

We believe in a Church of equals,
where all gifts are honored,
all voices are heard,
and all are invited to share
in the ministry of Christ.

We believe that resurrection is not only a promise for the future,
but a living reality among us now,
whenever love triumphs over fear,
hope overcomes despair,
and justice rises where exclusion once prevailed.

We commit ourselves
to building inclusive communities,
caring for Earth, our common home,
working for peace and equality,
and embodying Christ's compassionate presence
in our world.

For we are God's beloved people,
called by name,
blessed beyond measure,
and sent forth in love.

Amen.

Prayers of and for the Community

Presider:
Like Mary Magdalene, who heard Christ call her by name and became a witness to resurrection hope, let us bring our prayers before the Holy One who dwells within us and among us.

Response:
All: Loving God, you hear our prayer.

For the Church throughout the world, that it may embrace the wisdom, gifts, and leadership of all God's people and become ever more fully a community of equals, we pray: