Redemption Arcs: Heroic and Holy

    For as long as humanity has existed, people have loved good redemption arcs. From King Gilgamesh to Prince Zuko, stories abound of figures who had lost their way finding better paths and becoming better people in the process.  These stories are so common in part because we are all human, and therefore flawed and fallible (Jesus and the Virgin Mary notwithstanding).  We all regret certain things we’ve done, and to see someone make amends - or at least sincerely attempt to do so - and become a better person gives us hope that we can do the same.

    Redemption arcs are common in hagiographies as well.  As I will expand upon later, I believe that there are elements of saintly redemption arcs that set them apart from many other tales of redemption and repentance.  With that said, I think that analyzing Christian stories through this lens can be useful.  Much like we are, those canonized as saints were flawed people in life.  Frankly, many of them did awful things.  Some were criminals who swindled, robbed, or even murdered others before changing their ways.  Saint Paul was even a notorious persecutor of Christians before he himself converted.  And yet, through Christ, they were saved and served as examples for others.  

    An emblematic tale of saintly redemption is found in Catholic narratives surrounding Saint Mary Magdalene. The Bible never explicitly identifies this Mary as a formerly promiscuous sinner, but Catholic doctrine has identified her as such ever since the Papacy of Saint Gregory I (“Who framed Mary Magdalene?”).  Jacobus de Voragine expanded upon this version of Mary in The Golden Legend.  He wrote that Mary was an immensely wealthy woman who “gave her body to pleasure” in the years before she met Jesus; indeed, she was often referred to as “the sinner” due to her infamy (The Golden Legend 375).  However, this changed when she was divinely inspired to see Christ at the home of Simon the Leper.  Upon seeing him, she realized her sinfulness and washed and anointed the feet of Christ.  Though a Pharisee criticized Jesus for letting Mary touch him, Jesus paid him no heed and forgave Mary her sins (The Golden Legend 375-376). 

    From that moment on, Mary Magdalene changed her ways and did her best to “go and sin no more”.  Jacobus recounts Mary’s subsequent involvement in the ministry of Jesus, in which she played a crucial role by financially supporting him and the other apostles (The Golden Legend 376).  Moreover, Mary became an inspiration for others even during her own lifetime.  When Mary and another group of Christians were exiled and landed at Marseilles, she found great success in converting the local population.  Jacobus attributed her success in this area to her kissing of Jesus’s feet - and, by extension, to her sincere repentance (The Golden Legend 377).  

    Mary played a particularly instrumental role in the conversions of the governor of the province and his wife, whose journeys to Christ paralleled Mary’s own.  Though their voyages were rockier than Mary’s, they too began on their paths after they repented.  Initially, they were both reluctant to provide the Christians with food and shelter, and Mary had to angrily rebuke them to convince them to do so (The Golden Legend 377).  And in spite of her own anger towards the pair, Mary forgave them and hoped that they could find Christ too.  When the governor asked that she pray to the Christian God for a son, Mary obliged him even though he was not yet a believer; this inspired him to go on a pilgrimage, which his wife would join.  Later, after his wife tragically died in childbirth, the pilgrim expressed regret for asking Mary for her prayers.  Yet despite his grief-stricken outburst, he prayed that Mary would intercede on behalf of his newborn and his late wife, continuing on his pilgrimage afterwards (The Golden Legend 377-378).  

    Years later, after the governor had seemingly completed his journey, he found the island where he had buried his wife and left his son behind.  Upon discovering that the boy had lived, he joyously expressed faith in God and gratitude for Mary’s prayers (The Golden Legend 379).  At this point, his wife came back to life and revealed that she had been with both him and Mary Magdalene in spirit during his pilgrimage.  From here on out, the family were committed Christians and worked to nurture the church in the region (The Golden Legend 380).  Thanks in large part to Mary Magdalene’s intercession, they had changed for the better.

    Repentance is crucial in Mary Magdalene’s tale, as it is central in the arcs of many of its characters.  It is through Mary’s apology, and through Christ’s acceptance of her apology, that she becomes this exemplar of faith that others can look to for guidance.  It is through the initial repentance of the governor and his wife that they ultimately have a son and find God.  Indeed, the dual stories emphasize the crucial role of repentance within the Christian faith in general, as repentance is essential for salvation.  Likewise, repentance is a theme in the stories of many saints; Paul repented and changed his persecutory ways after seeing a vision of Jesus, while Saint Augustine abandoned his hedonistic lifestyle after his baptism.

    I don’t want to imply that repentance is somehow exclusively a feature of saintly or Christian redemption arcs.  Remorse and repentance (in the sense of regretting one’s past deeds and sincerely attempting to do better) are commonplace in redemption arcs in general; just look at Boromir’s heroic sacrifice after his attempt to steal the One Ring or Roy Mustang’s commitment to atoning for the Ishvalan genocide in Fullmetal Alchemist.  Still, I think Mary’s story also illustrates one key difference between Christian and (many) secular redemption arcs: the centrality of God in the process.  Mary could not just apologize and be redeemed afterwards; she had to be forgiven.  It was Jesus who forgave her, just as he forgives all who repent.  Additionally, though Mary was instrumental in the conversion of others, Jacobus makes it clear that she was not enacting these changes through her own power.  Instead, she was constantly praying to God on behalf of her charges.  It was God, not Mary, who granted the couple a son, spared the newborn, and resurrected the governor's wife.  In addition to reminding us where all miracles really originate from, these facts remind us of the necessity of God in salvation.  In many secular redemption arcs, characters can find it in themselves to change, with or without outside assistance.  In Saint’s tales, and in Christianity, people can find it in themselves to repent of their sins; however, they are ultimately only saved and redeemed through Christ.   

    Finally, I think that Mary’s redemption arc is indicative of how saintly lives can be useful as sources of inspiration.  To an extent, all of us have failed in some way.  The saints also experienced failure, both before and after they found Christ.  And yet, by repenting and trusting in him, they were saved.  Their examples provide us with hope that we can be saved if we repent and trust in God as well. 

-WJC

Outside sources:

1. Schlumpf, Heidi. “Who framed Mary Magdalene?” U.S. Catholic, March 29, 2016. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201603/who-framed-mary-magdalene/