Previous post on the Feast Of St Mary Magdalene is here
Who Was Mary Magdalene ?: Excellent and in depth article from here
which concludes
"Thus Mary of Magdala, who began as a powerful woman at Jesus’ side,
“became,” in Haskins’ summary, “the redeemed whore and Christianity’s
model of repentance, a manageable, controllable figure, and effective
weapon and instrument of propaganda against her own sex.”
There were
reasons of narrative form for which this happened. There was a
harnessing of sexual restlessness to this image.
There was the humane appeal of a story that emphasized the possibility of forgiveness and
redemption.
But what most drove the anti-sexual sexualizing of Mary
Magdalene was the male need to dominate women.
In the Catholic Church,
as elsewhere, that need is still being met."
A reflection here from Phyllis Zogano from the NCR
titled " What Would Mary Magdalene Do ?
For a series of RTE four free podcasts on Mary Magdalene done in 2007 from here: entitled "Woman With the Wild Thing's Heart."
Description :
"The life and legends of Mary Magdalene.
"O woman with the wild thing's heart,
Old sin hath set a snare for thee:
In the forest ways forspent thou art
But the hunter Christ shall pity thee."
Those lines, from "Song For Mary Magdalene" by Patrick Pearse, form the
starting point for Gerry McArdle's new four-part series about a saint
who seems, only recently, to be coming into her own.
Image source
Image source
Long lumbered, thanks to the machinations of some early Christian Church
fathers, with the reputation of being either a prostitute or a
repentant sinner, Mary is known either as the "tart with the heart" of
Jesus Christ Superstar by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, or the
glamorous seductress of many a Hollywood celluloid fable.
Nowadays,
thanks to a popular pulp novel, she is also seen by some as the
wife/consort and mother of the children of Jesus Christ; and though the
programmes don't wish to go the "Da Vinci Code" route, ( for some "debunking" of that read more here), Dan Brown is a
little bit like the elephant in the living room that can't be ignored.
She was, in fact, one of the most important characters in the Gospel
stories, mentioned by two of the evangelists as the first person granted
the privilege of seeing the risen Christ.
To all who would downgrade
the role of women in Christianity, the figure of Mary says a very firm
"No"!
"Woman With The Wild Thing's Heart" explores Mary Magdalene in reality
and myth, and enlists the aid of some very eminent scholars of theology
and history to achieve its goals.
Along the way, we'll hear
contributions from Sean Freyne, Anne Thurston, Mary T Malone, Prof. Mary
Grey and Marc Patrick Hederman, to name but a few. Even though these
luminaries give us the benefit of their vast learning, the programmes
aim to be popular and populist, entertaining as well as educational."
A Morning Offering
I bless the night that nourished my heart
To set the ghosts of longing free
Into the flow and figure of dream
That went to harvest from the dark
Bread for the hunger no one sees.
All that is eternal in me
Welcomes the wonder of this day,
The field of brightness it creates
Offering time for each thing
To arise and illuminate.
I place on the altar of dawn:
The quiet loyalty of breath,
The tent of thought where I shelter,
Waves of desire I am shore to
And all beauty drawn to the eye.
May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.
May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more
John O 'Donohue from To Bless The Space Between Us.
Image source
 |
| Appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene after resurrection, Alexander Ivanov, 1835 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
A Morning Offering
I bless the night that nourished my heart
To set the ghosts of longing free
Into the flow and figure of dream
That went to harvest from the dark
Bread for the hunger no one sees.
All that is eternal in me
Welcomes the wonder of this day,
The field of brightness it creates
Offering time for each thing
To arise and illuminate.
I place on the altar of dawn:
The quiet loyalty of breath,
The tent of thought where I shelter,
Waves of desire I am shore to
And all beauty drawn to the eye.
May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.
May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more
John O 'Donohue from To Bless The Space Between Us.
Image source
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