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Picture from Wikipedia.

FEAST OF MARY MAGDALENE

Sr Mary Charles McGough - "Mary Magdalene Announces the Resurrection"

Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’ 

There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem. 

When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid. 

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’  (My emphases)


(Mark 15:37-16:7)

As you see, I highlighted the words in the Gospel about the Magdalene and women.  Why were the vital roles of the women who followed Jesus, the women who ministered in the early church, and the major role of Mary Magdalene as an apostle diminished for so many centuries?  If you say Mary Magdalene is not an apostle because she was not one of The Twelve, then there is the problem of Paul, the writer of the Epistles, who claimed for himself the title of apostle and is known today as Apostle to the Gentiles.  Although the role of women is being reexamined, prejudice against women in leadership remains alive and well today in certain parts of the church.  Why?  Why is Mary Magdalene so often unacknowledged as an apostle in the Western church, although she receives her rightful place in the Eastern church?  An apostle is a messenger, one who is sent on a mission.  Mary Magdalene was sent to the disciples to deliver the message, "Christ is risen!"  Is there a greater message?   

Collect of the Day: St. Mary Magdalene

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 of all our infirmities and know you in the power of his endless life; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

Here's the link to the backstory of the of the lovely icon written by Sr Mary Charles McGough.

H/T to Josh Thomas at The Daily Office for calling attention to the icon.

COULD SOMEONE WITH A CONCEALED WEAPON HAVE STOPPED THE KILLER?

We hear it today in reference to the mass killing by James Holmes in Aurora, Colorado:

"If someone with a concealed weapon was there, they could have stopped this man."

Donn at Anything You Want responded to the statement in a blog post after another mass killing in May of this year.

 On May 30th, 2012, Ian L. Stawicki, walked into to Cafe Racer about 11 AM. and opened fire with two semi-automatic handguns. Six people died that day, including Stawicki, who turned a gun on himself as police cornered him in West Seattle.  He lived long enough to be transported to the hospital, where he later died.

This article will not address the violence in our society, our cowboy culture, our ongoing affair with the firearm, it's popularity in the movies, gun control, gun banning, or how guns provide us with 2nd amendment solutions when things don't go our way at the voting box.

I'm not wading into the RKBA, the 2nd Amendment, or Gun Control. I'm not going to do it.  That path lies madness.

I'll address one thing, just one thing. It's something I've heard time and again, on Facebook, in comments to articles in the paper, ever since this shooting.  I've heard it said different ways but, the meaning is the same.  Whenever any shooting happens, I hear this statement, usually in defense of legal concealed carry.  It's always the same statement.  It's always misplaced.

Read Donn's post, and you will see why the statement in bold type is false, and the answer to the question in the title of my post is, "No".

How soon I forget.  The previous mass killing was in May of this year, less than two months ago. 

H/T to my Facebook friend, Jay, for the link.

NEUTRON

A neutron walks into a bar.  "I'd like a beer," he says.

The bartender promptly serves up a beer.

"How much will that be?" asks the neutron.

"For you?" replies the bartender, "no charge"


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

Oh, that amazing Paul (A.)!  He's an attorney who also knows his science.

HE CAUGHT ME!

The man in the mosquito-spray truck caught me this evening at dusk.  Thank goodness I was just finishing up my walk and was near my house.  Usually, he will turn off the spray as he passes me, but tonight, he did not.  "They" say the chemical is not harmful to humans and animals, but who the hell knows, except that our back yard feeder still attracts large numbers of birds.  The birds are kind of a test, you know, like the canary in the coal mine.

Why is Mr Spray Man  spraying on a Saturday night?  I thought I was safe, because it was Saturday, and it wasn't even dark yet.  I have to admit that the mosquitoes would be fierce around here without the spray, because we've had a lot of rain.  Yesterday, it rained all day, and I was out with my umbrella several times for Diana to pee.  As soon as the weather clouds up, she wants in the house, but once I had her out on the lead, she was straining to go for a walk.  Sorry, girl, I don't think so.

Such is life in a smallish town in south Louisiana.

Photo from Boston.com where I just noticed that the picture bears the caption: "An East Middlesex mosquito truck sprays on Bedford's McIntosh Road, not far from a US wildlife refuge that bans the practice."  Yikes!  The entire article is about the controversy over spraying in East Middlesex, Massachusetts.   And the spray may be harmful to bees, which is not good at all.  Oh dear!

On the other hand, we have cases of West Nile fever in Louisiana, though not yet in my area.  Hmm.

LISTEN UP!

All credit to  The Church of Roisinism.

MARY BLACK - 'THE HOLY GROUND'

Thanks to Tim Chesterton for introducing me to the beautiful voice of the lovely Mary Black.  She sings the song lyrics from the heart, seemingly without effort.

I LOVE MY COUNTRY PASSIONATELY

I love my country passionately; that is why I want to see it do right.  There is a valid place for a sensible patriotism.  But from a Christian point of view, true patriotism acknowledges God's sovereignty over the nations, and holds a healthy respect for God's judgment on the pretensions of any power that seeks to impose its will on others.  There is a place for a sense of destiny as a nation.  But it can be authentically embraced and pursued only if we separate ourselves from the legacy of the combat myth and "enter a long twilight struggle against what is evil in ourselves."*  There is a divine vocation for the United States (and every nation) to perform in human affairs.  But it can perform that task, paradoxically, only by abandoning its messianic zeal and accepting a more limited role within the family of nations.

(Engaging the Powers - Walter Wink, p. 31)

* Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil - Robert Jewett

NATIONALISM BECOME ABSOLUTE

The myth of redemptive violence is nationalism become absolute.  This myth speaks for God; it does not listen for God to speak.  It invokes the sovereignty of God as its own.  It does not entertain the prophetic possibility of radical denunciation and negation by God.  It misappropriates the language, symbols and scriptures of Christianity.  It does not seek God in order to change; it claims God in order to prevent change.  Its God is not the impartial ruler of all nations but a biased and partial tribal god worshiped as an idol.  Its metaphor is not the journey but a fortress.  Its symbol is not a cross but a rod of iron.  Its offer is not forgiveness but victory.  Its good news is not the unconditional love of enemies but their final liquidation.  Its salvation is not a new heart but a successful foreign policy.  It usurps the revelation of God's purposes for humanity in Jesus.  It is blasphemous.  It is idolatrous.

And it is immensely popular.

(Engaging the Powers - Walter Wink, p. 30)

LETTER FROM BISHOP ROB O'NEILL OF THE DIOCESE OF COLORADO

From the Rt. Rev. Rob O'Neill of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado:

For now I write particularly to ask your prayers for those who are most directly affected by these shootings—those who are wounded, those who have died, emergency responders, medical and law enforcement personnel, and your colleagues and communities who are providing immediate pastoral care. The greatest gift we have to offer one another is indeed our collective prayer—not merely kind wishes, not simply good intentions, but deep prayer—the ability to hold, tangibly and intentionally, others in that abundant love that flows freely and gracefully within us and among us. This has substance. This has weight and heft. For it is the source of deep healing and lasting transformation

Please make this your intentional practice, and please invite others to join you in doing the same today and in the days ahead.

Deep peace and many blessings be with you.

Faithfully,

Bishop O'Neill

H/T to Ann Fontaine at The Lead.