Video – Fr Maximilian – The Cornerstone #38: St. Mary Magdalen

Ave Maria!

In this episode, Fr. continues his examination of the scene at Calvary and Mary's role in our spiritual life. The process of "purification" is essential if we are to grow in our Christian life, and we see this process embodied in the person of St. Mary Magdalen. In the Gospels, Mary Magdalen is always depicted as being at the feet of Jesus. She lay at His feet when the Pharisees & scribes attempted to have her stoned; she washed His feet with costly perfume at the house of Simon the Pharisee; at Calvary, she knelt weeping at the foot of the cross; and after the resurrection, she is seen clinging to Christ whom she mistook as a gardener. It was at Calvary that Mary Magdalen was cleansed all the more of her sins by the blood of the Lamb and the tears of His Mother.

St. John Chrysostom said: "In the Magdalen, Christ found a harlot, but He made her purer than a virgin." When we are purified, we become more and more holy and pleasing to God, and Father Maximilian discusses 2 aspects of this purification, as described by St. John of the Cross. These 2 aspects are known as "the dark night of the senses" and "the dark night of the soul".

[Again, we apologize for the glitch at the end of the recording. We suggest that you just close your eyes and listen to Father's wonderful words. It's not worth missing!]

Ave Maria!