The Two Marys: Witnesses of the Same Mystery
It appears you’ve provided a fragment of HTML code with placeholders for “bsf_rt_marker” and an image block. Since you’ve requested a translation, here is the textual portion translated:“Return ONLY the English translation, no comments or notes.”For the HTML structure, as it contains placeholders and a figure for an image, it cannot be fully translated without additional context or the actual image content. The provided code snippet does not contain any text to be translated.
Surging at dawn on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene. (Mark 16:9, Gospel of the Saturday of the Eighth Day of Easter)Mariological Meditation based on the Readings of the Saturday of the Eighth Day of Easter (Mark 16:9-15)“Having risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene” (Mark 16:9). The Gospel of Mark, the oldest, is clear: the first Easter witness is a woman named Mary. A fundamental question for Mariology arises: what relationship exists between this Mary and the other Mary, the Mother? The Church always knew that the two Marys, Magdalene and the Mother, are witnesses to the same mystery, albeit through distinct paths.It is no coincidence that the most frequently named women at the Cross and at the Tomb are Marys. The evangelical tradition seems deliberate: it is the family of Marys that sustains the Easter testimony when the Twelve falter. And at the center of this family stands the Mother, the one tradition calls “first among all” in the pascal faith.I. Mary Magdalene: the Apostle of the ApostlesThomas Aquinas attributed to Mary Magdalene the title “Apostola Apostolorum”: “the apostle of the apostles.” She is the one who receives the first appearance of the Risen Lord (Mark 16:9, John 20:11-18) and is sent to announce to the disciples. Her ministry is that of eyewitness testimony: “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18).Her Easter journey is that of one who experienced the scandal of the Cross: “she was standing by the tomb, weeping” (John 20:11), and encountered the Risen One just as she sought Him with tears. The word that turns everything around is the simplest possible: her name, Mary (John 20:16). The Risen One recognizes her by name, she recognizes Him by voice. Easter recognition is always personal, never abstract.The *Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy* (2002, n. 158) mentions Mary Magdalene among the figures who continue Mary Mother’s mission during the Easter season. Her role is that of public announcement: “go and tell.”II. Mary, Mother: who believed without seeingThe Mother of Jesus does not appear in the accounts of Easter morning. No evangelist places her at the tomb. This absence is theologically significant: Mary did not go to the tomb because she did not need to. Her faith never required the rolled stone to believe in the Resurrection.The liturgical tradition expressed this fact with the formula: *sola remansit fides in Maria*, only Mary’s faith remained on Saturday Holy Week. Whoever never lost faith in the living Son does not need to verify the tomb. This is the primacy of Mary, the Mother, over Mary of Magdalene: not the primacy of vision but the primacy of faith.Mary’s *fide* *sustained* the Church in moments when the faith of the disciples flickered. Her nearness to the dead Son, spiritually and in prayer, not just physically, is the condition for the announcement of Magdalene to be received. Whoever never ceased to believe, when they hear *he is risen*, confirms rather than marvels.
Surging at dawn on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene. (Mark 16:9, Gospel of the Saturday of the Eighth Day of Easter)Mariological Meditation based on the Readings of the Saturday of the Eighth Day of Easter (Mark 16:9-15)“Having risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene” (Mark 16:9). The Gospel of Mark, the oldest, is clear: the first Easter witness is a woman named Mary. A fundamental question for Mariology arises: what relationship exists between this Mary and the other Mary, the Mother? The Church always knew that the two Marys, Magdalene and the Mother, are witnesses to the same mystery, albeit through distinct paths.It is no coincidence that the most frequently named women at the Cross and at the Tomb are Marys. The evangelical tradition seems deliberate: it is the family of Marys that sustains the Easter testimony when the Twelve falter. And at the center of this family stands the Mother, the one tradition calls “first among all” in the pascal faith.I. Mary Magdalene: the Apostle of the ApostlesThomas Aquinas attributed to Mary Magdalene the title “Apostola Apostolorum”: “the apostle of the apostles.” She is the one who receives the first appearance of the Risen Lord (Mark 16:9, John 20:11-18) and is sent to announce to the disciples. Her ministry is that of eyewitness testimony: “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18).Her Easter journey is that of one who experienced the scandal of the Cross: “she was standing by the tomb, weeping” (John 20:11), and encountered the Risen One just as she sought Him with tears. The word that turns everything around is the simplest possible: her name, Mary (John 20:16). The Risen One recognizes her by name, she recognizes Him by voice. Easter recognition is always personal, never abstract.The *Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy* (2002, n. 158) mentions Mary Magdalene among the figures who continue Mary Mother’s mission during the Easter season. Her role is that of public announcement: “go and tell.”II. Mary, Mother: who believed without seeingThe Mother of Jesus does not appear in the accounts of Easter morning. No evangelist places her at the tomb. This absence is theologically significant: Mary did not go to the tomb because she did not need to. Her faith never required the rolled stone to believe in the Resurrection.The liturgical tradition expressed this fact with the formula: *sola remansit fides in Maria*, only Mary’s faith remained on Saturday Holy Week. Whoever never lost faith in the living Son does not need to verify the tomb. This is the primacy of Mary, the Mother, over Mary of Magdalene: not the primacy of vision but the primacy of faith.Mary’s *fide* *sustained* the Church in moments when the faith of the disciples flickered. Her nearness to the dead Son, spiritually and in prayer, not just physically, is the condition for the announcement of Magdalene to be received. Whoever never ceased to believe, when they hear *he is risen*, confirms rather than marvels.III. Two functions, one unique mystery
The two Marys fulfill complementary roles in the Paschal mystery:– Mary Magdalene = witness of the Resurrection *ad extra*, the sent one to the outside, the *Apostle* who announces to those who have not seen.– Mary, the Mother, is the witness of the Resurrection *ad intra*, that is, the one who keeps faith alive within the community, the *heart of the Church* (an expression of Paul VI when he proclaimed *Mater Ecclesiae* in 1964).*Redemptoris Mater* (John Paul II, 1987, n. 26) describes this interior function of Mary: *”The motherhood of Mary in the plan of grace […] will be preserved uninterruptedly until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect.”* Mary does not go to the tomb because she is already at the source: her heart is the space where the Resurrection is continually recognized.Laurentin, in *Court traité de théologie mariale* (1959), accurately identifies this paradox: *”Mary is the most discreet in the narratives of the Resurrection and the most present in its reality.”* The narrative discretion is inversely proportional to the theological importance.IV. *”Go into all the world”:* the mission of the two Marys
«”Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature”» (Mk 16:15). The universal mission arises from the paschal testimony. And this testimony has two female faces: the one who saw and the one who believed. Both are necessary for the Church: the mystical direct experience (Mary Magdalene) and the contemplative faith that sustains (the Mother).The Pentecost in the Cenacle (Acts 1:14) brings together both: «in prayer, united with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers» (Acts 1:14). Mary Magdalene is not named here, but she is implicitly present among those who persevered. The paschal communion that prepares Pentecost is a communion of testimonies: the announcement of him who saw and lived, and the faith of those who always knew.We invite you to recognize in every Christian community these two complementary vocations: Mary Magdalene, to announce what was seen and lived, and Mary Mother, to sustain faith when vision fails. Every disciple is called, according to his grace, to be one or the other of these Marys.Prof. Daniel AfonsoPresident of Locus Mariologicus*Rome, April 11, 2026*To deepen the theology of paschal apparitions and Mary’s role in salvation, consult the encyclical *Redemptoris Mater* by Saint John Paul II.—FAQ:Who are the two Marys of the New Testament?In the New Testament, the two most prominent Marys are Mary, Mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. The first is a witness to the Incarnation and the Cross. The second is the first witness to the Resurrection (Jn 20:1-18). Together, they embrace the whole pascal mystery.What is the theological meaning of the two Marys in the pascal mystery?The two Marys reveal the feminine dimension of paschal faith: Mary Mother remains faithful at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25), and Mary Magdalene is sent as “apostle of the apostles.” Both are witnesses to the same mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.What does it mean that Mary Magdalene is called “apostle of the apostles”?The title “apostola apostolorum” (apostle of the apostles), given to Mary Magdalene by Rupert of Deutz and other Fathers of the Church, recognizes that she was the first to receive and announce the message of the Risen One (Jn 20:17-18), before the apostles themselves.Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology.Graduate Studies in Mariology
Do you want to deepen your formation in Mariology? Get to know the Graduate Program in Mariology from Locus Mariologicus – an academic formation that combines theological rigor, spiritual life, and the living tradition of the Church.
Serious about studying mariology?
This article arises from the works in the Locus Mariologicus library. The Postgraduate Mariology program takes you to the same sources, with academic guidance: Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and the Magisterium, from the first dogma to contemporary issues.
Responses