The Little Psalter of Saint Mary Magdalene

The Rosary: A Little Psalter for Meditating the Life of Christ with Mary

The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a little invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary repeated 150 times — in imitation of the 150 Psalms — during the recitation of which one ponders the mysteries of Christ’s life. We all know the traditional series of the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries.

Benedictus Deus in Angelis Suis et in Sanctis Suis

Provided that we hold fast to the rule of faith and Christ remains the end of our devotion, nothing prevents us from honouring Christ’s wonders in His other Saints by meditating on the marvels He has wrought in them. These Saints, though their light shines with a fainter glow than that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, nonetheless illuminate the night sky of our faith journey, as the stars join with the moon to illuminate the night. We might even use the same form as that of the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, taking 15 mysteries of Christ’s work in the lives of these Saints and meditating upon Christ’s work while saying a little invocation in honour of the Saint.

A practice like this could bring great honour to God and to the Saint as well as great benefits to us.

The Magdalene

Mother Mectilde had a mighty devotion to Saint Mary Magdalene, appointing her a protector and patron of her institute of Perpetual Adoration, and even celebrating her feast with an Octave.

At our Mectildian monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle at Silverstream Prior, we have the privilege of honouring Saint Mary Magdalene as a secondary patron and celebrating her feast as a second class feast.

Ah, Mary Magdalene! How our tongue would fail to sing her praises adequately! Mary Magdalene, according to Dom Gueranger, is the woman “to whom woman is indebted for [such a] glorious revenge” and the lesser light “to rule the night by enlightening repentant sinners” (in comparison to the Blessed Virgin, whom he called “the greater, to rule the day of innocence”).¹ She is the model of those who have repented, of penitents. She is the model of those that make reparation, for she made such glorious reparation for the infidelities of Simon the Pharisee (see Luke 7:38-42). She is especially the model of those who make reparation for priests, for by her lavish anointing of the Lord in Bethany, she, perhaps unknowingly, made reparation for the greedy, calculating murmuring rage of Judas, called to be a priest, and also for the stinginess of the other apostles. By staying at the Cross, supporting John, the one faithful priest, she made reparation for all the 10 priests who had run away, and especially the one who denied Jesus. She is the model of adorers and contemplatives, abiding at the feet of Jesus and being defended by the Lord’s own words when Martha would have accused her. She is the model of lovers, seeking her love at the tomb, like the Bride in the Canticle of Canticles. She is the model of intercessors, gaining by her tears both the fellow tears of her Lord and the resurrection of her brother Lazarus.

Indeed, each Mass seems to commemorate her, for the priest ascends to the altar to kiss it, as she kissed the feet of the Lord, and to incense it, as she anointed His feet. Then, a little later, at the offertory, when it is time to make present again in mystery His Holy Sacrifice and Death, the priest repeats these actions, as she repeated her kisses and anointings in Bethany before the Lord’s Passion.

A Little Psalter of Saint Mary Magdalene

So we might fittingly meditate on 15 mysteries of the Lord’s work in her life by saying 15 — or even 150 — times a little invocation to Saint Mary Magdalene, such as the whole (or even one or the other half of) the one below:

Gaude Maria, gratia salvata, ex qua mulier in antiquum serpentem ulciscitur:
Sancta Magdalena, mulier ardentissima, ora ut igne amoris cor nostrum accendat Jesus. 

Hail Mary, saved by grace, through whom woman is revenged upon the ancient serpent:
Holy Magdalene, most ardent woman, pray that Jesus would ignite our heart with His Fire of Love.

We might then choose 15 mysteries to meditate upon, such as these:

I. The Mysteries of Conversion

1. Jesus attracts Mary to Himself.
2. Mary anoints Jesus’ feet at the house of Simon the Pharisee.
3. Jesus forgives her sins.
4. Jesus exorcises her of seven demons.
5. Mary follows Jesus from Galilee.

   II. The Mysteries of Discipleship

6. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and is defended by him against the complaints of her sister Martha.
7. Mary’s tears draw forth the tears of Jesus and gain the resurrection of her brother Lazarus.
8. Mary anoints Jesus a second time, drawing forth the complaints of the Apostles and especially Judas.
9. Mary accompanies Jesus to the cross and assists him with the Blessed Virgin and Saint John.
10. Mary accompanies the body of Jesus to the sepulchre and makes plans to return to annoint It.

    III. The Glorious Mysteries

11. Mary finds the tomb empty.
12. Jesus meets Mary at the tomb and reveals Himself to her by saying her name.
13. Mary becomes the Apostle of the Apostles.
14. Mary assists the Virgin Mary and the Apostles at Pentecost.
15. Mary lives out her post-Pentecostal life of penance and love.

¹Dom Gueranger, the Liturgical Year, Mary Magdalene (full text)^↩