tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post4069708680833721056..comments2024-03-18T15:28:13.866-04:00Comments on A Concord Pastor Comments: First Apostle of the Resurrection!Concord Pastorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18322127779647130869noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post-88584528196721648672008-07-23T23:48:00.000-04:002008-07-23T23:48:00.000-04:00Anonymous (last in the list above):Two facts argue...Anonymous (last in the list above):<BR/><BR/>Two facts argue against your theory of a conspiracy to disguise Mary Magdalene's identity here.<BR/><BR/>First, the term "the disciple Jesus loved" is used several times in the scriptures where it clearly refers to the apostle John.<BR/><BR/>Second, in the four gospels Mary Magdalene is mentioned by name fourteen times. In eight passages, her name heads the list. In one, her name follows the name of Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the other Mary. In five passages her name appears alone. The only woman whose name appears more times than that of Mary Magdalene is Mary, mother of Jesus.<BR/><BR/>The prominence of Mary M's name does not support the suggestion that she was being left out or hidden.<BR/><BR/>Indeed, there were many female disciples (not "at least one") and the scriptures clearly identify and record this reality.Concord Pastorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18322127779647130869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post-36096597446269772672008-07-23T22:04:00.000-04:002008-07-23T22:04:00.000-04:00I have always wondered about this part of John's g...I have always wondered about this part of John's gospel: <BR/><BR/>"Near the cross of Jesus there stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Seeing his mother there with the disciple whom he loved, Jesus said to his mother, "Woman, there is your son." In turn he said to the disciple, "There is your mother." From that hour onward, the disciple took her into his care."<BR/><BR/>Who is the disciple? To me, it sounds like Mary Magdalene must be the disciple Jesus is addressing and they've conveniently changed the pronoun. Could it be? Perhaps there were women disciples (or at least one) but the gospel writers couldn't bring themselves to record this fact. (And thus we aren't allowed to let women be priests.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post-4809214691307205212008-07-22T15:13:00.000-04:002008-07-22T15:13:00.000-04:00I am glad that after centuries some of the misconc...I am glad that after centuries some of the misconceptions that have been perpetuated about Mary Magdalene are finally being put to rest. I am struck by how much she loved Jesus....how drawn to him and his teachings she was....how generous and fearless she seemed to be. What a wonderful role model she is for all women and particularly for those who need her example of courage to sustain them with difficult tasks in trying times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post-75625666410563430172008-07-22T12:48:00.000-04:002008-07-22T12:48:00.000-04:00Actually, CP, the story of the anointing of the fe...Actually, CP, the story of the anointing of the feet was part of the homily I heard this morning on MM's feast day; apparently I was misinformed! As for being a priest, the other Apostles were, so it made sense to me to mention that an Apostle to the Apostles wasn't -- she was a woman and teacher instead.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post-59868811574892969392008-07-22T12:35:00.000-04:002008-07-22T12:35:00.000-04:00Wow!! What an abundance of riches we have here tod...Wow!! What an abundance of riches we have here today. Honestly, On this her feast day, I might never have spent anytime comtemplating who Mary of Magdalea was, or who she was not, unless I had come here. The CNS story and the Joan Chittister reflection provide wonderful insights. Thank you all for some grace filled moments... AND having been in active service to the church for 24 years I had NEVER heard the story of the red egg! <BR/>What a wonderful thing cyberspace can be!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post-28234234569884760982008-07-22T11:15:00.000-04:002008-07-22T11:15:00.000-04:00This was written by Sister Joan Chittister. It may...This was written by Sister Joan Chittister. It may be too long for the combox...ok to edit or not post it. Anne<BR/>THE FRIENDSHIP FACTOR<BR/>Friendship is the linking of spirits. It is a spiritual act, not a social one. It is the finding of the remainder of the self. It is knowing a person before you meet her. It might be that we not so much find a friend but that friendship, the deathless search of the soul for itself, finds us. Then the memory of Mary Magdalene becomes clear, becomes the bellwether of the real relationship.<BR/>Feastday of Mary Magdalene, July 22<BR/>Mary Magdalene is the woman whom scripture calls by name in a time when women were seldom named in public documents at all. She is, in fact, named fourteen times—more than any other woman in the New Testament except Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus. She is clearly very important, and apparently a wealthy woman. Most of all, she understood who Jesus was long before anyone else did and she supported him in his wild, free-ranging revolutionary approach to life and state and temple. She was, it seems, the leader of a group of women who “supported Jesus out of their own resources.” And she never left his side for the rest of his life.<BR/>She was there at the beginning of his ministry. And she was there at the end. She was there when they were following him in cheering throngs. And she was there when they were taking his entire life, dashing it against the stones of temple and state, turning on him, jeering at him, shouting for his death, standing by while soldiers poked and prodded him to ignominy. She tended his grave and shouted his dying glory and clung to his soul. She knew him and she did not flinch from the knowing.<BR/>The Magdalene factor in friendship is the ability to know everything there is to know about a person, to celebrate their fortunes, to weather their straits, to chance their enemies, to accompany them in their pain and to be faithful to the end, whatever its glory, whatever its grief. The Magdalene factor is intimacy, the unshakeable immersion in the life of the other to the point of ecstasy, to the depths of hell.<BR/>The Magdalene factor in friendship is what distinguishes those who walk with us through the shallows of life from those who take the soundings of our soul and follow us into the depths of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post-84662536773946223032008-07-22T10:20:00.000-04:002008-07-22T10:20:00.000-04:00Anonymous: I think you may have read the post too...Anonymous: I think you may have read the post too quickly. Check the links in the post to get at the question of the identity of Mary Magdalene.<BR/><BR/>And in poining out that she wasn't a priest, you are, of course, entirely correct. I might add that she was also not a plumber, opera singer or presumptive presidential candidate.<BR/><BR/>Being an apostle was enough, evidently, for Mary Magdalene!Concord Pastorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18322127779647130869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808375493800890797.post-44922465601976803742008-07-22T09:58:00.000-04:002008-07-22T09:58:00.000-04:00Her life is a wonderful illustration of Christ's f...Her life is a wonderful illustration of Christ's forgiveness and of the new life he gives to sinners who repent. Wasn't Mary Magdalene the woman who wiped His feet with her hair and anointed them with costly oils? At the same time she was an "Apostle," she was a teacher (though never a priest). <BR/><BR/>Thanks for posting this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com