Over the past couple of weeks, at the Center of Light, Seattle we have been reading about and discussing the conversion of Mary Magdalene. Her story is a story of complete transformation. She went from being riddled with darkness to becoming one of the most faithful of the Master Jesus’ disciples.

Hers is a journey of awakening, hope and opening to real love. In her conversion story, we are witnesses to God’s tremendous love, compassion and forgiveness through Jesus and his Mother Mary.

Most people, even the most unspiritual or secular among us, have heard of Mary Magdalene. She is mentioned in the gospels primarily at or after Jesus’ death. Luke refers to her as ‘a sinner’ (7.37) and tells us that ‘seven demons had gone out’ from her (8.2). She was considered to be a prostitute.

How could her story have relevance for us today? Can you even imagine that her story has anything to do with you? In obvious or subtle ways, most of us have separated ourselves from God and ‘sold out’ to whatever it is in the world that has seduced or attracted us. Sometimes this is pretty apparent to us, and sometimes it is not. That is why we have to look deeper into your hearts and minds to see where this separation is happening within us. We have to ask how we have made our own needs, our pride and our fears bigger than God is in our lives.

This is the awakening part of the story. When we take the risk of looking closely and honestly at ourselves we can see the truth about where we may have ‘sold out’ to have things our way, or feel like we are in control. Seeing this isn’t always easy, but that is where the hope part comes in.

Mary Magdalene’s story is a story of hope because, having seen her transformation, we know that we too can be transformed, no matter how far we have gone away or how miserably we think we have failed. The only way transformation could happen for Mary was that she allowed an opening for the Master Jesus’ love to fill her. That is also how we will be transformed. The more we allow real love in to break open our hearts, the more we can be healed.

As we open to the love of God, Jesus and Mary, we too can experience the compassion and unconditional forgiveness that is available to each one of us. We are the lost sheep that Jesus speaks of in the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18: 10-14). The good shepherd will leave ninety-nine sheep on the mountain and go in search of the one that went astray.  The shepherd rejoices when that one is found.

It is never too late or we have never been too ‘bad’ to open to the healing love of Jesus and Mary. We are welcomed back in with open arms. It is our decision. Mary Magdalene went from being filled with darkness to being the first person that Jesus appeared to after his Resurrection (after seeing his Mother). That is an amazing transformation. And we too can chose to be transformed as she was.

By Rev Louise, Priest, Seattle