The Magdalene Mystique » 2007 » June

The Author

Betty Conrad Adam, an Episcopal priest, is resident Canon Theologian at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, and spiritual director of the Magdalene Community. She holds a PhD in philosphy from Rice University and was a recipient of a Merrill Fellowship at the Harvard Divinity School.

The Book

The Magdalene Mystique retells the story of Mary Magdalene for our time. As the consummate “other” who is mislabelled and demonized, the Magdalene becomes an ancestor who can help us bridge our cultural and religious divisions. Her lost Gospel tells us how a more deeply connected consciousness can happen to all of us and how we can be lead into a “shared peace.”

The CD

The Magdalene Mystique: Songs From Within by Anita Kruse is a companion to the book, The Magdalene Mystique. The music that accompanies our services can be found on this CD along with voices from other religious traditions. You will find this music helpful for private devotion or for use in your community.

Penitential Services and Self-Blame

posted June 19th, 2007 at 3:45 pm by Betty

Today is a good time to talk about penitential services. For one thing, it is neither Advent nor Lent, which are the usual times we discuss such matters. Now is the Season after Pentecost, which is marked with the color green and dedicated to our spiritual growth. Could it be that in Pentecost we can gain new insight into Advent and Lent?

Eveyone has different needs. Some find penitential services very important in their spiritual lives. I, for one, admit a resistance to such services. I have spent much of my life in self-blame and for me a penitential service is so familiar that I have grown to think I am rewinding old tapes when I should be moving on. For me to feed the self-blamer is counterproductive.

I have thought for some time that our attraction to the Magdalene has something to do with coming to a new consciousness about ourselves. What if her mystique has to do with a new awareness that we have stressed our sins for too long at the expense of our true humanity and divinity?

What if our fascination with the recent discoveries that have transformed her from a model of penitence into a spiritual leader has to do with our own transformation? What if our being drawn to her has to do with our realization that we, too, are rising out of the dust of a theology that has stressed our sins at the expense of our shared humanity and divintiy?

I recently received a letter from a dear friend who lives in California. She had read my book and mentioned that my comments about penitential services and self-blame rang very true for her. She said that long ago, she decided that God does not wish us to live in that manner. Instead, God wants us to be people who express our true humanity in a joyful, caring way. The most important challenge is to be in harmony with creation, and thus, be part of the Kingdom of the Human One, as the Gospel of Mary expresses it.

I hope you will weigh in on this matter. May we all grow this summer in our spiritual lives as the grass grows. mary magdalene gospel of mary interconnectedness