Today, as we celebrate the feast of St Mary Magadalene, Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of John (20: 1-2, 11-18) in which Mary of Magdala goes to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning only to discover it empty.

Fr Paul says Mary Magadalene’s early visit to the tomb is another sign to us of her devotion. The traditional place of the tomb was in the shadow of the western wall of the city so this might contribute to her bewilderment and confusion.

It must be remembered that in the Gospel of John, the hour of Jesus is not only his passion and death, but it is also the moment of his glorification and exultation – that hour is now at the moment of its completion and the Risen Christ wishes to be seen but not to be delayed in his exultation to the Father. In her passionate love and devotion, Mary is the only witness of this moment.

On this day, Fr Paul invites is to ask, ‘St Mary of Magdala (St Mary Magadalene)… Pray for us!’.