The Magdalene Mystique - The Path Inward

The New York Times today offers us another read of the resolutions, this time from those at Grace Church and St. Stephens’ Parish in Colorado Springs. See: Episcopalians in Colorado Plan to Leave Denomination.
According to the article, the parish was “shocked” that the House of Bishops “were so decisive in spurning the rest of the communion.” They will now affiliate with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, a missionary diocese of the Church of Nigeria with offices in Virginia.

Certainly the parish in Colorado Springs has every right to read the resolutions from their own perspective. That’s what we have to do, isn’t it? Read from our own perspective. But it is helpful, in this age, to consider that there are other reads and that considering other reads can open us up to greater understanding: listening to other views and considering them as sincerly given, helps us to understand one another in profound ways.

A reading of the resolutions as “spurning” the rest of the communion is not my read, as I have said earlier. (See below: A Must Read) I read the resolutions as coming from a prayerful place that is more connective than separating. They are direct and to the point, but not “spurning” or “defying” or “rejecting,” as has been characterized in other news articles.

The announcement from Colorado Springs was made this past Monday and the Bishop of Colorado, Robert O’Neill, dissolved the parish’s vestry and appointed a temporary priest and officers who might offer an alternative woship site for those in the congregation who want to stay in the denomination. As Bishop O’Neill said, “The fact is people may leave the Episcopal Church, but parishes cannot.” But we can look to future litigation on this, about property.

In this article you will find a summary statement about the resolutions made by the Rev. Mark Harris: “I think the House of Bishops statement last week really sent a signal that the church is willing to talk to other people in the communion and with those in the Episcopal Church who don’t agree with it, but it is not willing to have decisions made for them by others.” This summary is closer to my page and more in line with Bishop Schori’s statement that the Episcopal Church has been given a “charism” to encourage conversation. As one of our commentors (see below for comments under A Must Read) encouraging conversation is a remarkable approach.

Encouraging conversation is what our Magdalene Community is all about, encouraging conversation within our own tradition, as well as with other spiritualities and religious traditions. Encouraging conversation stretches us into a new kind of thinking that is connective and not dividing. It is a gift that has been given to us and one that is desperately needed in our century. I am pleased to be in the vanguard of those who give a priority to relationships and think more about connections than oppostions and isolation.

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See the Times Online Blog which references this post.

Check out these two articles that appeared in the New York Times and Washington Post today. These articles characterize the mind of the House of Bishops as “defying” and “rejecting.” That’s not the way I read the resolutions. What think ye? anglican communionecusaecusa conflictsepiscopal

Read the report on Episcopal News Service Click Here….
I am deeply moved by these resolutions that have emerged from “prayer, reflection, conversation, and listening” in the gathering of the House of Bishops at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas. They are beautifully written from the heart and from reason and express a relational spirituality inspired by Jesus, who, as they say, does not lead us to break relationships.

While the Bishops speak of their “passionate desire” and “deep longing in our hearts” to remain a full constituent member of the Anglican Communion and their willingness to continue to “work to find ways of meeting the pastoral concerns of the Primates that are compatible with the polity and canons of the Episcopal Church,” they find that they must urge the Executive Council not to participate in the Pastoral Scheme of the Dar es Salaam communique of 2007.

The document conveys a Gospel perspective that finds primary the words handed down that in Christ “there is no Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free” and that “all are God’s children.” There is a deep sense of conviction to uphold the dignity of every human being and to reaffirm the values of justice, compassion, and peace. These Bishops are taking their stand against all violence, especially those persecuted because of difference.

I am very proud to be an Episcopalian and hope that you will join me in expressing your thoughts as you read these resolutions. Dar es Salaam Communique episcopal

Episcopalians do get in the news! Here we are again: front page of the New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/us/20episcopal.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

Journalists like to investigate and get to the bottom of things, refuse to be silent when things need to get out.

Hurrah for this article ON MONEY and what GENEROSITY COSTS. It helps us in seeing priorities.

To my mind, GENEROSITY is a supreme and sacred character trait - in its purity it is inspired by grace. It’s a giving out of one’s abundance (for which one is grateful though not necessarily deserving) in order to provide for the well being of another. It’s a sacred value. It is an extraordinary blessing to be a position to express this trait.

The American Church happens to be in this place: to give generously. We will not forget our neighbors, we will not forget the poor and the sick. The House of Bishops will not let that happen. I believe you can count on that, even when it means giving to groups that count us no longer part of the Christian tradition - even when it means giving to those who would have us OUT.

Generosity COSTS. It depletes the pocket book. What is given can then not be spent on oneself, even building an independent American Church. Yet it is still right to give and give and give to those in need.

But what generosity DOES NOT COST is the giving up of cherished views. It’s not an Either/Or.

Isn’t it true that part of what is behind generosity is a view about “the dignity of every human being.”
It would seem that by remaining generous we make our point!
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NdunganeJefferts Schori Millennium Goals

Following the conference in South Africa centered on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)the words of Cape Town Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane are very encouraging. See the article found at Episcopal News Service: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_83596_ENG_HTM.htm. The following are some of the outstanding quotes from Ndungane:

“Working for MDGs is not simply working for the needy as a separate category of human beings, but working for the healing of all, including the healing of those who don’t see the problem.”

Such work “must also put questions to prosperous societies of West and North asking whether or not they have understood that they too are deprived and dehumanized by a global situation of injustice, a system that tolerates the idea of superfluous people who are alllowed to remain invisible.”

The Milennium Development Goals are “the starting point for a world that reflects God’s principals of inclusivity.”

The first recommendation is connected to the first MDG of poverty and hunger eradication. “Given that food can be utilized as a weapon of war in various conflicts globally, this body has been emphatic in stating that the Church must exert pressure on governments and international bodies to ensure that food is used for the nourishment and development of our future — not as tool of war… Furthermore…we need to contribute to the creation of sustainable food production systems globally….”

The second recommendation involves education. Noting that “girls and women continue to suffer disproportionally from the effects of poverty, disease and hunger…as a community we recognize the importance of our sisters, mothers, daughters, aunts, friends and colleagues in living out our mission and in reflecting the vision of humanity illustrated in the Gospels.”

“Accordingly, alongside the policies and programs to serve the needs of girls and women — which serves all of our needs — this body has articulated that first and foremost we need a change of mindset, in both men and women, about gender and gender roles…Therefore, in our dialogues going forward, we have committed to using language that is inclusive of women and non-threatening to men. We will strive to do this not only in our dialogue, but also in our worship.” gender rolesinclusive Millennium Development Goals Ndunganepovertysustainability

Photo of Magdalene Community outside the Rothko Chapel, March 2007

Father Matthew is a priest in Yonkers New York. He obviously “gets” Mary Magdalene. He does a great job of explaining what happened in a clever video.

Another remarkable video by Father Matthew is “Diversity in Faith”. Father Matthew is basically describing “the Other” that we refer to in the Magdalene Community. Check out more of Father Matthew on YouTube. father matthewdiversityepiscopalmary magdalenereligion

Dear Readers: I would be very interested in what you think of these words from Jesus in The Gospel of Mary Magdalene:

“I tell you, ‘Be in harmony…If you are out of balance, take inspiration from the manifestations of your true nature.”

For me, these words are a treasure. Much depends, I think, on what you take as your “true nature.” gospel of marySufism

When I wrote The Magdalene Mystique, I had no intention of suggesting that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. And yet, as I studied the famous dialogue between Jesus and Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of John, I began to find hints that this was the case. To be sure, I make no claim to prove that they were married. I only suggest a hint. In the end we have to say that at this time in historical research we simply can’t know.

Scholars vary about this of course. Esther de Boer sees a kinship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus rather than a marriage. She finds in the Gospel of John a portrait of the Magdalene as belonging to a group of relatives to Jesus, and suggests that the Magdalene was either a sister-in-law or a niece of Jesus’ mother. Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb to care for the body and receives comfort in close proximity as a relative. In the garden encounter he calls her by name and her response as Rabbouni suggests the intimacy of a kinship.[see DeBoer, The Gospel of Mary,(Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 1997):157-158]

Another scholar, Marvin Meyer, says while a reasonable case can be made that Jesus and Mary Magdalene may have been married, their love expressed in the Gospel of John seems more platonic and spiritual than physical. [see Marvin Meyer, The Gospels of Mary
(HarperSan Francisco, 2204) Perhaps they were married, perhaps not. We do not know.

But what seems important to me is that we are talking about this. The Da Vinci Code has started most of the stir and now the Talpiot Tomb discoveries are continuing the talk. This is a good thing. I have to say when I saw the photographs of the Jesus and Mariamne ossuaries in the book The Jesus Family Tomb, I was taken into a deep place in my heart. For me, it would be just fine to find out that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married.

My guess is that we will never know about an actual marriage, and we will never know whether the Talpiot Tombs tell us about Jesus’s family. But let’s continue the talk. For in our conversation, we are called into confronting our our own views about sexuality and its sacredness.

If Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married, it certainly brings sexuality back to its sacredness that it has lost for thousands of years. As Jean-Yves Leloup says in his The Gospel of Mary Magdalene : if Jesus were married, sexuality is then redeemed — something sorely needed in our era. [see Leloup (Rochester:Innner Traditions, 2002):11. mary magdalene Esther de BoerJean-Yves Leloupmarvin meyersacred marriage

Archbishop Ndungane of South Africa stresses the importance of the Millennium Development Goals for “creating a global partnership.”

Presiding Bishop Katharine offers a perspective on the meeting in Tanzania in the “Conversation with the Church.”