Life
The Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Myrrh-bearer Mary Magdalene was a woman from Magdala, a small fishing town on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Before her encounter with Christ she lived in the heavy bondage of sin and demonic power — the Lord cast seven demons out of her. This transformation was so complete and radical that from that moment she became His most devoted and zealous disciple.
From the moment of her liberation she followed Christ through Galilee and Judea, assisted in the support of His missionary journeys together with other women, and used her own means to sustain the apostolic community. The Evangelist Luke mentions her immediately after his account of Mary of Bethany, but as a distinct person, thus emphasizing that these are two different women — tradition sometimes confused them, but the Orthodox Church distinguishes between them clearly.
During the Passion and Crucifixion Mary Magdalene was present beneath the Cross, together with the Theotokos, John the Theologian, and the other myrrh-bearing women. She accompanied the procession with the Savior’s body to Joseph’s tomb. At dawn on the first day of the week, she and the other myrrh-bearers set out to anoint the Lord’s body with fragrant myrrh — and they were the first to see the empty tomb and the angels who proclaimed the Resurrection.
The Risen Lord Himself appeared first to Mary Magdalene — this scene is described in the Gospel of John: she stood weeping near the tomb and at first did not recognize the Risen One; hearing only His “Mary!” she knew Him and fell at His feet. Christ gave her the commission: “Go and tell my brethren…” — making her the first proclaimer of the Resurrection. For this reason she is called “Apostle to the Apostles” (apostola apostolorum).
After the Resurrection and Pentecost, tradition holds that Mary Magdalene went to Rome, where she appeared before Emperor Tiberius and announced the Resurrection to him, presenting him with a red egg and the message: “Christ is risen!” — which is the origin of the Paschal custom of dyeing eggs red. She then preached throughout Italy and Pannonia. She reposed in Ephesus, where she had lived under the care of the Apostle John. Her relics were transferred to Constantinople in 899.
The Church has numbered Mary Magdalene among the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles — an honor given to those whose missionary zeal and fruitfulness in proclaiming the faith equal that of the apostles themselves.
Tropar (Tone 1)
Christ raised thee up to the heights of a pure life and gave thee the word of the Gospel, O Mary Equal-to-the-Apostles; therefore, standing before the Lord, thou didst proclaim His Resurrection to all peoples and nations.
Kontakion (Tone 7)
Having pleased Christ with worthy repentance, O blessed Mary, and having been freed from the darkness of demons, glorifying the Theotokos and Christ — to thee we cry: save us, O equal to the apostles.