St Mary Magdalene: A Hope to Catch His Eye

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the disciple
whom Jesus loved

Text by Victor Hoagland, C.P.

A Hope to Catch His Eye

Mary Magdalene stood with Jesus' mother while he hung dying on the cross. The soldiers kept them at a distance; they had no time for a victim's loved ones or their pity. His enemies continued cursing him. The cries of thieves crucified with him filled the air. The women could only stand by, hoping their eyes would meet his and Jesus would see them there.

They heard his last words:
"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
"This day you will be with me in Paradise."
"I thirst."
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit".
Then his last cry, his bowed head and limp body told them he was dead.

The women took his body and prepared it quickly for burial, since the Passover feast had almost begun. Joseph of Arimathea offered them a tomb in a nearby garden. They buried Jesus' body at once. Mary Magdalene made a mental note of the tomb's location. She planned to come back at the first opportunity to anoint the body and wrap it properly in burial cloths. Then, numb with grief, she went back with the others to wait till the end of the Feast.

women at the cross in
Georges Roualt painting

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