On the Feast day of Mary Magdalene
Mark 16:9-10
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
It is said that Mary
was a woman possessed.
A woman whom Jesus delivered.
I’ve long wondered
whether those demons
with which Mary was possessed
were those traits that threatened
to smash the patriarchal culture.
Things like
Love
Passion
Persistence
Loyalty
Fierceness
Curiosity
Intuition
Perhaps Jesus didn’t so much deliver her
Perhaps he encouraged her
to live into her calling
as a disciple
And in so doing
her demons
were exercised
rather than exorcised.
And we who seek
to smash the patriarchy today,
We whose work is to continue
in the line of Mary Magdalene
dismantling glass ceilings
shard by tiny shard
cut and bleeding as we go
are also labelled as possessed
and bear that label with pride
knowing that the Risen Christ
assuages our demons
encouraging us
to love
to be passionate
to be persistent
to be loyal
to be fierce
to remain curious
(Curiosity prevents us from judging)
and to use our intuition
as those called today
to stay by the cross
to watch over the empty tomb
and with all that we have
to proclaim resurrection.
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