Gospel (Lk 8,1-3) - At that time, Jesus went through cities and villages, preaching and announcing the good news of the kingdom of God. There were with him the Twelve and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from which seven demons had come out; Joanna, wife of Cuza, Herod's administrator; Susanna and many others, who served them with their goods.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus chooses to have next to him not only the Twelve but also some women. It is an exemplary choice of the new style that he came to establish. Only Luca points it out. Those women, writes the evangelist, "had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities", and had chosen to follow Jesus, putting all their possessions at the service of him and his disciples. In this sense they were a full part of that new group that Jesus had created, making it a real community. This indication from the evangelist is important because it shows how much Jesus went beyond the customs of his time. In fact, it was unthinkable for the rabbinical customs of the time to include women in a circle of disciples. Jesus, contrary to the mentality of the time, associates them with his own mission, as seen in other evangelical pages. Luke names three, Mary Magdalene, freed from "seven demons", that is, a considerable number of evil spirits; Joanna, a woman close to King Herod, who will also be named in the story of the resurrection; and Susanna, of whom there is no news. They were probably wealthy women who, attracted by the preaching of Jesus, put their wealth at the service of the master and the small group. Already in these few lines the primacy of discipleship which overcomes all barriers, even those that appear insurmountable, clearly appears. For Jesus what matters is being disciples. And discipleship gives each person the true and most important dignity: that of announcing the Gospel and testifying that love is entrusted to all disciples, beyond any distinction.