Episode Details

It's the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Zeal of the Children of Darkness", today's news from the Church: "Episcopal Consecrations — Aftermovie", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? podcast@sspx.org

Sources Used Today:

• "The Zeal of the Children of Darkness" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumption
  • https://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption
  
  
• "Episcopal Consecrations — Aftermovie" (FSSPX.news)
  • https://fsspx.news/en/news/econe-2026-episcopal-consecrations-aftermovie-60234
  
  
• The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
  • https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop
  
  

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For most Catholics, the story of Saint Mary Magdalene seems to end outside the empty tomb on Easter morning.

But according to ancient Christian tradition, it was only beginning.

The Gospels leave Mary Magdalene after she announces the Resurrection to the Apostles. What happened next has been treasured for centuries in both the Eastern and Western Church, though the traditions take different paths.

The oldest Eastern tradition says that Mary Magdalene continued helping the Apostles after Christ's Ascension. She is said to have traveled eventually to Ephesus, where she lived alongside the Apostle John and the Blessed Virgin Mary during their later years. There she continued preaching Christ until her death. The Eastern Church has honored her for centuries as the "Equal of the Apostles," a title reserved for those whose missionary work had an extraordinary impact on the spread of the Gospel.

In the Christian West, another ancient tradition developed, one that became deeply rooted in southern France. According to this tradition, persecution forced Mary Magdalene, along with Lazarus, Martha, and several other disciples, to leave the Holy Land in a small boat without sails or oars. Carried across the Mediterranean by God's providence, they landed on the coast of Provence.

From there, the traditions say, Lazarus became the first bishop of Marseille while Mary Magdalene withdrew into the mountains to live a life of prayer and penance.

For the final thirty years of her life, she is said to have lived in a cave on the steep cliffs of the Sainte-Baume mountain. It became one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in medieval Europe. Kings, queens, saints, and ordinary