The Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, one of the myrrh-bearing wives, was the first person to see the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. She was born in the town of Magdala in Galilee. The inhabitants of Galilee were distinguished by their spontaneity, ardor of disposition, and dedication. These qualities were also inherent in St. Mary Magdalene. Since her youth, she suffered from a serious illness – demoniacal possession (Luke 8:2). Before the Coming of Christ the Savior into the world, there were especially many possessed: the enemy of the human race, foreseeing his imminent disgrace, rebelled against people with ferocious force. Through Mary Magdalene's illness, the glory of God appeared, and she herself acquired the great virtue of wholehearted trust in the will of God and unwavering devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord cast out seven demons from her, she left everything and followed Him.
Saint Mary Magdalene followed Christ along with other wives healed by the Lord, showing touching concern for Him. She did not leave the Lord after His capture by the Jews, when the faith of His closest disciples began to waver. The fear that led to the abdication of the apostle Peter was overcome by love in the soul of Mary Magdalene. She stood at the Cross with the Most Holy Theotokos and the Apostle John, experiencing the sufferings of the Divine Teacher and sharing the great grief of the Mother of God. Saint Mary Magdalene accompanied the Most Pure Body of the Lord Jesus Christ as It was transferred to the tomb in the garden of the righteous Joseph of Arimathea, and was present at His burial (Mt.27:61; Mk.15:47). Serving the Lord during His earthly life, she desired to serve Him even after death, paying final honors to His Body, Anointing him, according to the custom of the Jews, with myrrh and perfumes (Luke 23:56). The risen Christ sent Saint Mary with a message from Him to the disciples, and the blessed wife, rejoicing, announced to the apostles what she had seen – "Christ is risen!" As the first evangelist of Christ's resurrection, Saint Mary Magdalene is recognized by the Church as equal-to-the-apostles. This evangelism is the main event of her life, the beginning of her apostolic ministry.
There is a tradition that she preached the gospel not only in Jerusalem. Saint Mary Magdalene went to Rome and saw Emperor Tiberius (14-37). The emperor, known for his cruelty, listened to Saint Mary, who told him about the life, miracles and teachings of Christ, about His unjust condemnation by the Jews, about the cowardice of Pilate. Then she presented him with a red egg with the words "Christ is risen!" This act of St. Mary Magdalene is associated with the Easter custom of giving each other red eggs (the egg, a symbol of the mysterious life, expresses faith in the coming common Resurrection).
Then Saint Mary went to Ephesus (Asia Minor). Here she assisted the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian in his preaching. Here, according to the tradition of the Church, she reposed and was buried. In the 9th century, under Emperor Leo VI the Philosopher (886-912), the incorruptible relics of St. Mary Magdalene were transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople. It is believed that during the Crusades they were taken to Rome, where they rested in the church of St. John Lateran. Pope Honorius III (1216-1227) consecrated this church in the name of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene. Some of her relics are located in France, in Provence near Marseille, where a church dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene has also been erected. Parts of the relics of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene are kept in various monasteries of Mount Athos and in Jerusalem.