Mary Magdalene - Thoughts/questions for reflection
How did this story make you feel?
Were there things in the story that jarred (or resonated) with you? Why is that?
At the beginning of this chapter, I highlighted the extent to which Jesus subverted the norms of his day with regard to women; respecting them as people in their own right, including them among his followers, and trusting them with the most important message in history. There are still huge gender inequalities in the world and in the Church. On top of this, there are many other prejudices and inequalities in society.
We all naturally identify with groups, there’s nothing wrong with that… the problem comes if we look down on people who are not part of our group. In Christian terms, if we believe that anyone is outside the grace of God, then we have missed the key message of the Gospels.
‘…every time we draw a line between us and others, Jesus is always on the other side of it.’[1]
Who are the people that our society judges as being ‘outside’?
Who are the people that the Church judges as being ‘outside’?
What do you think Jesus would say about this?
Look again Galatians 3:28.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus
If Paul were writing to the Church today, what contrasts might he include in that passage?
In Mary’s story, Jesus has compassion for her, meeting her immediate need, but also recognising that longer-term healing was also required. He opened the way for her to join the community he was founding, a community that would provide the environment needed for that further healing.
Frequently in the Gospels, we read that Jesus was full of compassion for people; that he saw their need and was moved to act. John’s Gospel records that Jesus wept when he saw the grief of Martha and Mary (John 11:35). Also, in the Old Testament, we read again and again that God is compassionate.
Our God doesn’t sit unmoved by the pain of this world, but he meets us where we are and weeps with us in our grief and sorrow.
But he doesn’t just feel our pain, he is also moved to act. In his compassion, Jesus acts to heal, and feed, and cast out demons, and raise the dead, and teach, and coach, and guide, and forgive, and more. It’s because of God’s compassion for the world, that Jesus comes to earth in the first place.
We can sometimes find that our hearts break for people we’ve never met, and we are moved to want to help in some way. It might be a charity appeal or a news story about tragedy, disaster, war, oppression, or abuse.
What stories have you heard recently where you have felt compassion for the people involved?
Sometimes it seems like there is just too much suffering in the world, too many charity appeals, too many needy people, too many problems among our families and close friends. As a result, we can get ‘compassion fatigue.’ Never more so than in recent years with the turmoil of COVID-19, growing political tensions, Afghanistan, Ukraine, environmental challenges, extreme weather, and more. We can’t cope with it all, and we get to the point where we have to ignore it or block it out.
What ways have you heard of, or used, to help offload the stress or anxiety we feel when it all gets too much?
Do the verses below from Matt 11:28-29 help?
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Take time to pause, reflect and ask God if there is anything he wants you to take from this.
For personal reflection and prayer
Some of you will know first-hand some of the horrors outlined above.
I don’t know what you have been through in your life and what you are going through now. I don’t know how heavy your load is to bear. I don’t know the grief and pain and frustration that you carry.
But I do know there is hope.
Our hope is founded on a patient, loving God that will never let us go. A God who is with us through the deepest grief and the wildest panic. A God who comes to us in Jesus, and... whilst in our pain, grief, anger, tears, and frustration, we may not recognise him… he gently asks – ‘Who are you looking for?’
As you meet with the risen Jesus in this Easter season, picture him listening with compassion as you pour out your heart… and when you pause for breath, hear him softly and lovingly speak your name… and know you are loved.
How does your name sound in his mouth?
A prayer
Lord Jesus,
This Easter season,
help us to see you in the world about us,
help us to find you in the people we meet,
help us to hear you in the words spoken to us,
help us to treat everyone as beloved a child of God
help us to know your presence with us always,
So that we can say with confidence
‘I have seen the Lord!’
Amen
Ignatian imaginative contemplation on this passage
The background and the story provide a window to help look at the passage imaginatively for yourself. If you want to go deeper:
Ask God to speak to you through the passage
Slowly read the Bible passage again
Visualise yourself as one of the characters, or as an observer. You might work through the whole passage or just sit with a certain scene within it.
Pay attention to the details of the scene; what do you see, hear and smell?
Notice what you feel as you immerse yourself in the passage?Again, ask God what he wants you to take away from this.
You might like to note any thoughts or feelings in a journal before moving on to the next chapter.
[1] Nadia Bolz-Weber, Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner Saint