In the shadows of fear and uncertainty, when the world seems unmoored and chaos threatens to undo us, we turn to the powerful example of Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles. She stood before the fearful disciples — traumatized by the crucifixion, overwhelmed by the threat of persecution, and paralyzed by grief — and she stood up.
“Then Mary stood up and greeted them, she tenderly kissed them all and said: ‘Brothers and sisters, do not be distressed, do not be in doubt, for his grace will be with you, sheltering you.’”
— Gospel of Mary 5:4–6
These words are not merely comfort. They are an act of empowering resurrection faith. Mary Magdalene, who had witnessed both the agony of the cross and the mystery of the risen Christ, did not retreat into silence. She rose — a woman in a male-dominated world — to proclaim hope when all seemed lost.
Today, we face our own times of turmoil. Around the world, political unrest is rising. Environmental collapse threatens us with violent storms and widespread destruction. Injustice and oppression continue to weigh down communities. On a personal level, many of us carry heavy burdens — anxiety, depression, fear, and doubt. In the midst of it all, we may feel tempted to do what the disciples did: to shrink back, to hide, or to lose hope.
But Mary Magdalene calls us to stand up.
She shows us that faith is not the absence of fear — it is the courage to love and lead in the midst of fear and doubt. Her trust was not in safety or survival, but in the presence of the living Christ, whose grace shelters us, even in suffering. She embodies what Richard Rohr calls the cruciform path, where we learn to “live in the flow” of divine love even when everything else seems to collapse. Rohr writes:
“True faith doesn’t come from theology books or dogmas, but from trust — from falling into the arms of the living God. That’s what Mary Magdalene did.”
— Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ
We can imagine Mary Magdalene whispering to us today, as she did to the frightened disciples:
“Do not be distressed. Do not be in doubt. His grace will shelter you.”
Joan Chittister reminds us that:
“It is in the midst of the storm that we find out what anchors us.”
— Joan Chittister, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope
Mary Magdalene was anchored not in power, not in privilege, not in the Roman system — but in the deep well of Christ’s love that cannot be extinguished by death or empire.
And so today, we are called to embody that same presence of boundless love To rise, like Mary, and speak words of hope where there is fear. To love tenderly where others lash out. To be a sheltering grace in our communities — especially for those who are most vulnerable and oppressed.
We do this not by pretending the pain isn’t real — but by trusting, as Mary did, that resurrection is already underway, even when we cannot yet see it. In places of political unrest or turmoil, we are called to be voices of compassion and justice. In the face of climate disasters, we trust in Christ’s presence and act as stewards of creation. In personal struggles, we practice radical self-compassion and community healing, knowing that we are loved and held.
Let us stand with Mary Magdalene. Let us trust, not because we are unafraid, but because we know — like her — that grace shelters us even in the storm.
And may our lives echo her message:
“Do not be distressed, do not be in doubt, for Christ's grace will be with you, sheltering you.”
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