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A woman from Galilee whose surname was probably derived from her home town, Magdala. The devotion she showed to Jesus was gratitude for the fact that he had driven seven demons out of her (Mark 16:9). According to tradition, she had been a harlot. Her faithfulness is clearly seen in that she was one of the few on Calvary at the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:56). She watched Jesus being buried and was one of the three women who went to the tomb on Resurrection morning (Mark 15:47; 16:1) and discovered that Jesus had risen (Matthew 28:1-8). The first one to whom he appeared that morning was Mary Magdalene (John 20:14-18).
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.