Saint Mary Magdalene 22nd July

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From: Mark . . .
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Mass

Introduction                                            Mary Magdalene (22 July, 2011)

From the gospel we can see that Mary Magdalene loved Jesus very deeply; so much so that her grief at his death blinded her when he spoke to her after his resurrection. Naturally she didn’t expect to see Jesus alive and so imagined thought that he was someone else.

Introduction to Mass                               Mary Magdalene (22 July, 2011)

As we honour Mary Magdalene today, we recognise that we, too, can fail to see Jesus in moments of stress or crisis.  The risen Jesus is fully alive for us and calls each of us by our name.

1.      Lord Jesus, you are risen and you continue to reach out to us in our need.                                          Lord, have mercy.

2.     Risen Jesus, you remain near to us especially in times of darkness and uncertainty.                Christ, have mercy.

3.     Lord Jesus, through your Spirit you lead us into all truth and love.
                                                            Lord, have mercy.

 

Prayer of Faithful: 

God our Father, hear us as we pray for all our
                                    needs.  May the great love of Mary Magdalene
                                    increase our faith in you.  We ask this through your
                                    risen Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.   

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Thanks to Editor.
MAGNIFICAT Missalette cover & commentary.

http://www.magnificat.net/english/popup_couv.asp 

Saint Mary Magdalene

For she loved much…

Artwork of the front cover: Mary Magdalene, Antonio Veneziano (14th century), Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City. © Photo Scala, Florence.

In contemplating this “portrait” of Mary Magdalene by Antonio Veneziano, one discerns how, in the crucible of the Most Serene Republic, the Italian genius ushered in the art of the Renaissance via a subtle alchemy of influences. Through the reception of French Gothic art of great originality he transmuted the ossified Byzantine forms of the Orient into an innovative rediscovery of ancient art.
Here we see “the sinner of love” represented not as a penitent overwhelmed with remorse, but radiant in the charm of her liberated and redeemed beauty. In her left hand she holds the Gospel, the book of the Good News of salvation, source of the profound joy that illuminates her face. With her right hand, as if bearing a monstrance, she presents the vessel which contained the precious nard that served in advance for the embalming of the Body of Christ. Her free-flowing hair attests that, as a daughter of Eve, she has renounced none of her feminine splendor. Nevertheless it ripples down her shoulders in six tresses, the number which signifies imperfection and the limits of human nature. These locks, well disciplined, as if guided by superior standards of fashion, are arranged upon a dress that borrows its color from the rosa mystica. One seeks in vain for the expression of a more fervent desire and a more vibrant love, now reoriented because healed from the fatal poison of concupiscence.     

■ Pierre-Marie Varenn