Ho'omana Health Ministries

Ever wonder where the whole Easter egg idea came from? Some say it is just an appropriate symbol of new life. Many speculate it was a pagan spring rite that was incorporated into the Catholic church. There is a traditional story that has been passed down over the ages, however, that tells a provides a different answer. It links the paschal egg to Mary Magdalene.

 

Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the Gospels as being among the women
of Galilee who followed Jesus and His disciples. She was present at His Crucifixion and Burial, and went to the tomb on Easter Sunday to anoint His body. She was the first to see the Risen Lord, and to announce His Resurrection to the apostles. Accordingly, she is referred to in early Christian writings as "the apostle to the apostles."

 

The Gospels relate that Mary was Yeshua's  constant companion and followed Him on his journeys during his ministry. She went with Yeshua through the cities and villages of Judea and Galilee while He proclained the Kingdom of God. Together with other pious women -- Joanna, wife of Khuza (steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she served Him from her own possessions (Luke 8:1-3).

 

The Gospel relates that Mary Magdalene was present on Golgotha at the moment of the Lord's
Crucifixion. While all the other disciples of the Savior ran away, she remained fearlessly at the cross together with His Mother and the Apostle John. Others are also mentioned among those standing at the cross. In all of the accounts, however, Mary Magdalene is mentioned first.

She remained faithful to Yeshua not only in the days of His Glory, but also at the moment of His extreme humiliation and agony. As the Evangelist Matthew relates, "she was present at the burial of the Lord." Before her eyes Joseph and Nikodemos went out to the tomb with His lifeless body; before her eyes they covered over the entrance to the cave with a large stone, behind which went the Sun of Life. She was one of the last to see Yeshua’s body after His death and the first to see His resurrected body. She rushed to the tomb early Sunday morning to anoint his body and was greeted by a risen Lord. 

Holy Scripture does not tell us about the life of Mary Magdalene after the resurrection of the Messiah. It is reasonable to assume, though, that this woman who refused to leave Yeshua during the terrifying moments of His crucifixion would have undoubtedly been present during the time after the Resurrection and Ascension. In the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, Luke writes: that all the Apostles with one mind stayed in prayer and supplication. It can be assumed that Mary Magdalene was among them.

 

Holy Tradition testifies, that when the Apostles departed from Jerusalem for preaching to all the ends of the earth, Mary Magdalene went with them to preach. A daring woman, whose heart was still full of reminiscence of the Resurrection, she traveled beyond her native borders to preach in pagan Rome. Everywhere she went, she proclaimed to people about Christ and His Teaching, 

 

Tradition relates, that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited the Emperor Tiberias (14-37 AD) and proclaimed to him about Christ's Resurrection. According to tradition, she took him an egg as a symbol of the resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: "Christ is Risen!"
Then she told Tiberias  the story of Yeshua the Nazarene, a holy man, a maker of miracles, powerful before God and all mankind. She explained how He had been executed on the instigation of the Jewish High-Priests and the sentence affirmed by the procurator Pontius Pilate. Then she told of the resurrection.

 

Tiberias responded that no one could rise from the dead, anymore than the egg that Mary held could turn red. Miraculously, the egg immediately began to turn red as testimony to her words. Tiberias was convinced. He had Pilate removed from Jerusalem to Gaul. Pilate  later
suffered a horrible sickness and an agonizing death.

 

According to this traditional story, this miracle of Mary Magdalene was the origin of  the custom of giving paschal eggs. To commemorate this miracle, Christians began to give eggs colored red to each other on the day of the Luminous Resurrection of Christ. The custom spread among Christians over all the world and apparently, other colors besides red were used.

 

There is a prayer on an ancient hand-written Greek ustav, written on parchment, kept
in the monastery library of Saint Athanasias near Thessalonika (Solunea), that was read on the day of Holy Pascha (Easter) for the blessing of eggs and cheese, in which it is
indicated, that the Hegumen (Abbot) in passing out the blessed eggs says to the brethren:

 

"Thus have we received from the holy fathers, who preserved this custom from the very time of the holy apostles, wherefore the holy equal-unto-the- apostles Mary Magdalene first showed believers the example of this joyful offering."