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Illustration: Mary Magdalene (c. 1598) by Domenico Tintoretto, depicting her as a penitent
Pope Francis’ Audience on the Occasion of the Jubilee 2025
Audience Hall = Saturday, 1 February 2025
“Compassion brought Mary Magdalene into God’s dreams”
Luke 8-1-2
Afterward (Jesus) went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.
Dear brothers and sisters!
The Jubilee is a new beginning for people and for the earth.
It is a time when everything must be rethought within the dream of God.
And we know that the word “conversion” means a change of direction.
Everything can finally be seen from a different perspective, and so our steps also go towards new goals. This is how hope, which never disappoints, is born. The Bible speaks of this in many ways.
And for us too, the experience of faith has been stimulated by encounters with people who have been able to change their lives and enter, ‘so to speak’ into God’s dreams.
Although there is much evil in the world, we can recognize those who are different: their greatness, which often coincides with their smallness, wins us over. In the Gospels, the figure of Mary Magdalene stands out above all others. Jesus healed her with mercy, and she was transformed.
Sisters and brothers, mercy changes, compassion changes the heart. And for Mary Magdalene, compassion brought her into God’s dreams and gave new meaning to her journey.
The Gospel of John (chapter 20 – see footnote 2 below) recounts her encounter with the risen Jesus in a way that makes us think.
It is repeated several times that Mary turned around.
The Evangelist chooses his words well!
With tears in her eyes, Mary first looks into the tomb, then she turns around: the Risen One is not on the side of death, but on the side of life.
He could be confused with one of the people we meet every day.
Then, when she hears her name spoken, the Gospel tells us that Mary turns around again.
And this is how her hope grows: now she sees the tomb – but not like before.
She can dry her tears, because she has heard her own name:
Only the Master pronounces it in this way. The old world still seems to be there, but it is no more.
When we feel that the Holy Spirit is working in our heart, and we feel that the Lord is calling us by name, do we know how to recognize the voice of the Master?
Dear brothers and sisters, from Mary Magdalene, whom tradition calls “the apostle of the apostles”, we learn hope. One enters the new world through more than one conversion.
Our journey is a constant invitation to change perspective.
The Risen One leads us into his world, step by step, on the condition that we do not claim to know everything already.
Let us ask ourselves today: Do I know how to turn around to see things differently, with a different perspective? Do I have the desire for conversion?
An overconfident ego that is too proud prevents us from recognizing the Risen Jesus.
Even when we cry and despair, we turn our backs on Him.
Instead of looking into the darkness of the past, into the emptiness of a tomb, we can learn from Mary Magdalene to turn towards life. There our Master awaits us. There our name is spoken.
For in real life there is a place for us, always and everywhere.
There is a place for you, for me, for everyone.
Nobody can take it away, because it has always been meant for us.
It is bad, as they say in the common parlance, it is bad to leave an empty seat: “This place is for me; if I don’t go…”. Everyone can say: I have a place, I am a mission! Think about it: what is my place?
What is the mission that the Lord has given me?
May this thought help us to have a courageous attitude in life. Thank you.
Footnote 1 : Luke Chapter 7-36-50 which mainly concerns a woman of the city, who was a sinner & Luke 8:1-2
One of the Pharisees asked (Jesus) to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat at table.
37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was sitting at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
And he answered, “What is it, Teacher?”
41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 When they could not pay, he forgave them both.
Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more.”
And (Jesus) said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, because she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”[d] 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 8:1-2
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Mag′dalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.
Footnote2 (John’s Gospel chapter 20:1-18)
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; 5 and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb;
12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13
They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
14 Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?”
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.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”[a]
18 Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
