On Tuesday of this week, [July 22] we remembered Mary Magdalene in the calendar. Mary is one of our most blessed and significant ancestors in the faith. As I reflected on her part in the gospel narratives, threethings struck me. Firstly, her life was completely changed by a radical encounter with Jesus. Secondly, she followed him faithfully thereafter; even to her own material cost and even to the very foot of the Cross of Calvary. Thirdly, Mary proclaimed the resurrection, despite the misgivings of others.

My hope and prayer for us all is that our lives will continue to be transformed by radical encounter with Jesus; through the work of the Holy Spirit, through the regular and thoughtful reading of the Gospels, and through our witness, one to another, of lives similarly transformed by our Lord.
Further that, like Mary Magdalene, our determination to be followers of Jesus will be serious and faithful, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves; and finally, also like her, that we will be proclaimers, by word and deed, of the wondrous resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
The Venerable Mark Barlow, Vicar General
Anglican e-Life | 23 July 2025
Used with kind permission
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