Why Mary Magdalene Is My Confirmation Saint

July 22nd is the feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene. As a new Catholic, I often think about the lives of the saints, and hers is one that comes to mind before many of the others, which I suspect is partially because she was one of the earliest ones. In addition to that, she was the first person that came to mind when, during the early days of my conversion journey, I realized that I was going to need a confirmation saint. 

I could not really explain that at the time, and I think it is still a struggle for me on occasion. However, I do reflect on stuff like this a lot because the journey the Lord has taken me on so far has been a great one with many twists and turns, and looking back on it all has shown me that there are several reasons why she was always going to be my top choice. Here are a few of them. 

She Picked Me 

Even though I did spend some summers attending vacation bible school at various protestant churches, attended a few services with my family, and Sunday school at a couple of them, I did not have a very religious upbringing. The little bit of time I did spend in church, coupled with my grandmother occasionally talking about God, Heaven, and Hell, did give me a basic understanding of things, however. Nevertheless, I still lacked a lot of knowledge about many biblical events, themes, and people, one of which was Saint Mary Magdalene. 

This is where “The Passion of the Christ” entered the picture. Even as a teenager, I loved epic films like that. But the draw to this one was different. In the Bible, Jesus said the words “I thirst,” and that perfectly captured how I felt when that film came out. It caused me to feel a spiritual thirst, if that makes sense. 

It lit a flame in my heart that still has not been put out, and one of the smaller reasons why was that the movie shed light on Saint Mary Magdalene a bit, and I knew I had to find out more about her. I began learning a bit about her around the time the movie was released (literally just days before I knew I would be seeing it), and Monica Bellucci’s portrayal of her was so captivating, and her acting in that movie really brought the pain Mary must have been feeling while watching her Lord die to my attention. The words I had been reading were really coming to life before my eyes when I saw that film, and for whatever reason, I felt very drawn to this person whom I had only known of for a short time beforehand. Ever since then, I have felt a very solid connection to her, and I really think that this is a case of what some Catholics say, which is that we do not pick our saints. They pick us. 

Mary Inspires Me To Come Back To Jesus Whenever I Have Strayed 

One of the coolest things about Saint Mary Magdalene is that, at least according to what is in the Bible, she never stopped following Jesus after He cured her of the demons she was dealing with. Many betrayed Him, but to my knowledge, the Bible does not say that she ever did. Instead, when we read it, we can see that she was one of the women who stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus was being crucified, she visited His tomb, and that she was the first to see the resurrected Christ. 

Even though I am much further in my path as a Christian, and more specifically a Catholic Christian, than I used to be, there are still times when I struggle with my faith. However, during times like that, I think about the fact that she was such a devoted follower of Jesus, and that helps me work through those difficult moments. Doing that inspires me to keep following Him, to keep praying, to keep reading the Bible, and to continue spreading the Word. 

I Feel That I, Too, Have "Seen The Lord"

Those who read the Bible may recall that the gospel of John states that Saint Mary Magdalene said “I have seen the Lord” when she spoke with the apostles after Jesus’s resurrection. While I have not seen the Lord standing right in front of me like she did, I do know that I have been in the presence of the Eucharist, which is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. 

The first time I attended Mass and I saw the host being raised up by the priest, something in me knew that I was in the presence of God, even though I did not have a good understanding of transubstantiation at the time. My heart knew, and I cried. In fact, I cry nearly every time I see that now. While the Bible is absolutely full of powerful sentences, that is my favorite one. I can relate to it fully, and I cannot help but think about it every time communion begins at church. 

Lastly, something cool is that my being drawn to her resulted in me learning more about God and how much He loves us, which has led to my relationship with Him becoming stronger with each passing day. Just like with Mother Mary and the other saints, getting to know her and asking for her intercession at times has led me right to Jesus. And in the words of the fictional Saint Mary Magdalene in The Chosen, “I was one way, but now I am completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Him. So yes, I will know Him for the rest of my life.”