Holy Myrrhbearer Salome
Today we commemorate the Holy Myrrhbearer Salome.
Saint Salome (Salómē) was the first cousin of the Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. She was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James (April 30) and John (September 26). She was one of the women who followed Christ and ministered to Him from their own means, even until His Crucifixion and Burial. On the third day they went to the tomb to anoint His body, they did not lose their faith in Him, nor did they fear the Jewish rulers.
It was Salome who asked the Lord to let her two sons sit, one at His right hand, and one at His left (Matthew 20:20-21), for she thought that Jesus was about to restore the throne of David at Jerusalem. During the Lord’s Passion, when His disciples and friends hid themselves from fear, Salome and the other faithful women remained by the Cross, beating their breasts in sorrow (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40; Mark 16:1-8).
Salome was also one of the Myrrhbearering women to whom the Angel revealed Christ’s Resurrection. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Salómē continued to distinguish herself by her zeal and her almsgiving.
The persecution of the Jerusalem Church caused Salome great sorrow. Her final heartbreak was when Herod beheaded her eldest son James (Acts 12:2). But Christ strengthened her, and in the hope of resurrection to everlasting life, she surrendered her soul in peace.