Saint Mary Magdalene, 22 July 2014
Judith 9:1, 11-14
Psalm 42:1-7
II Corinthians 5:14-18
St. John 20:11-18
Note: This commentary on the propers for Saint Mary Magdalen was written especially for Saint Mark's Church, Santa Clara, California, who will be celebrating her day on Sunday, 20 July 2014. If you would like to see the commentary on Proper 11, please click here:
Background: Mary Magdalene
Considered a peer of the
Apostles in the Eastern Church, it is time for a renewal of thanksgiving and
consideration for the life and ministry of Mary Magdalene in the West. She was one of several women who followed
Jesus and was involved with the community that gathered about him. A great deal of legend and speculation has
attached itself to her story, not all of it edifying or appreciative. Most telling of her is her presence at the
Resurrection. Her connection to health
and healing through Jesus commends her well enough, but her witness to the
Risen One is her supreme commendation.
It is her witness, “I have seen the Lord”, that propelled the Easter
Message not only amongst the disciples, but throughout the world as well.
The involvement of her
story in the fiction of Dan Brown and others has brought attention to her, but
much of it the attention of controversy and speculation. Such ideas have not been limited to our
time. Earlier times speculated on her
importance, influence, and role, and she has not been well served by it. In our time it seems that she serves as a
good focal point for discussion and discovery of the ministry of women in the
church. That is the reason why we have
moved this feast day to a Sunday, to rejoice and give thanks for the ministry
of Mary Magdalene and other women.
First Reading: Judith 9:1, 11-14
Judith
fell prostrate, put ashes upon her head, and uncovered the sackcloth she was
wearing. Just as the evening incense was being offered in the temple of God in
Jerusalem, Judith cried loudly to the Lord: “Your
strength is not in numbers, nor does your might depend upon the powerful. You are God of the lowly, helper of those of
little account, supporter of the weak, protector of those in despair, savior of
those without hope. “Please, please, God of my father,
God of the heritage of Israel, Master of heaven and earth, Creator of the
waters, King of all you have created, hear my prayer! Let my deceitful words* k wound and bruise those who have
planned dire things against your covenant, your holy temple, Mount Zion, and
the house your children possess. Make
every nation and every tribe know clearly that you are God, the God of all
power and might, and that there is no other who shields the people of Israel
but you alone.”
 |
| Gustav Klimt, "Judith" |
Originally written in Hebrew, this Jewish book (novel,
as some call it) has only come down to us in Greek and Latin editions. Written around the time of the Seleucid
domination of Palestine in the second century BCE, this work looks back to an
earlier time to tell a story at the time of Nebuchadnezzar, King of
Babylon. The message of the book is
quite simple – a message of God’s protection of the Jewish people in all kinds
of adversities. That a woman (in her
time a weak vessel of God’s grace and a widow as well) becomes a tool of God’s
protection should not be lost on us.
Our reading for today consists of prayer that Judith
makes in advance of the real adventure of the book – her defeat and murder of
the General Holofornes. The prayer is
important, however, for assigning to the “weak and lowly” (a theme enjoyed by
Luke) victory and defeat of the enemies of the Jewish People. She becomes God’s justice and agent, and yet
she assigns the success to God’s doing, not her own.
Breaking open Judith:
- Why does the author of Judith pick a widow to be his heroine?
- What does Judith’s prayer say about her faith?
- What do you think of her actions?
Psalm
42:1-7 Quemadmodum
As the
deer longs for streams of water,*
so my
soul longs for you, O God.
My soul
thirsts for God, the living God.*
When
can I enter and see the face of God?
My
tears have been my bread day and night,*
as they
ask me every day, “Where is your God?”
Those
times I recall as I pour out my soul,
When I
would cross over to the shrine of the Mighty One, *
to the
house of God, Amid loud cries of thanksgiving,
with
the multitude keeping festival.
Why are
you downcast, my soul;
why do
you groan within me?*
Wait
for God, for I shall again praise him,
my
savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I remember you*
From the land of the Jordan* and Hermon,
from Mount Mizar,
This psalm, which seems to be
filled with sorrow, also anticipates great joy.
It seems the perfect accompaniment to the story of Mary Magdalene in the
Gospel for today. What are present in
the psalm: a thirst for God, tears, crying, groaning, and finally praise. All could be assigned to the Magdalene as
well. There is also a theme of waiting,
appropriate to the cause of Mary, who has waited for ages to recognize her
ministry and apostleship.
Breaking open Psalm 42:
- Do you have a “thirst for God”?
Why? Why not?
- How does the theme of waiting have a presence in the psalm?
- Does faith sometimes lead to depression?
Second Reading: II
Corinthians 5:14-18
For the
love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for
all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that
those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their
sake died and was raised. Consequently, from now on we regard
no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the
flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So
whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has
reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of
reconciliation.
In this reading St. Paul moves beyond the materiality of
the Incarnation, recognizing that we know “Christ
according to the flesh,” realizing that the Risen and Ascended One is no
longer in the flesh of this life. Like
the Risen One, we are a new creation.
Perhaps this is why Mary didn’t recognize the Lord – he was now
something new and different, as was she.
Paul doesn’t want us to weep, as Mary did, over the loss of the
past. What was expected was not seen –
something over and above that was what was expected. Now we are in relationship with God through
Christ.
Breaking open II
Corinthians:
- What does it mean to you that God was incarnate in the flesh of Jesus?
- What does your body mean to you?
- How does your body embody the faith?
The
Holy Gospel: Saint John 20:11-18
But
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and
one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to
them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are
you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and
said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I
will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She
turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”* which
means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on
to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and
tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have
seen the Lord,” and what he told her.
What are the themes that bubble up from the ministry of
Jesus with the disciples that are encapsulated here? First there is the theme of misunderstanding,
or not recognizing. How often had the
disciples not gotten it, and misunderstood the intentions of Jesus. So here, Mary weeps over the lost body of
Jesus, and does not recognize him when he appears. A second theme is the recognition of the
voice calling your name. Jesus does not
explain to Mary what had happen, nor does he describe to her who he really
is. Jesus merely says, “Mary,” and she
knows and recognizes him. The final
theme is absence. Mary cannot touch but
only see the One who is to return to the Father. Her response, however, is exemplary. “I have
seen the Lord.”
Breaking open the Gospel:
- What are Mary’s tears all about?
- What describes Mary’s courage best?
- What leaders to make the confession of Jesus at the end?
After breaking open the
Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Almighty God, whose
blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and mind, and called her
to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may
be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the power of his unending
life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, how and for
ever. Amen.
Questions and comments copyright © 2014, Michael
T. Hiller
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