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I received a letter from a woman who wrote regarding the
picture accompanying the entry "Mary Magdalen" on the "Dictionary of Dissent"
page:
I think that the
pictures of "John", are not and never have been of "John". They are of
Mary Magdalene. She was another beloved disciple of Christ's, as well
as the first to see the resurrected Christ..."
-- all with a
smiley face after it. I thought it was a joke, so sent back the
following:
Just send your payment to:
Mr.Bayo Adeoni
Union Bank of Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria 87-4321
-- and we'll get
the deed right to ya! <wink>
God bless, friend, and thanks for the laugh : )
I was surprised
to receive the following response. She was serious!
Read Margaret Starbird's book, "The Woman With the Alabaster Jar: Mary
Magdalen and the Holy Grail".
In it, Starbird searches through art history and finds clues about Mary
Magdalen's importance to Christianity. Once you study the art she
includes in her book, look at "The Last Supper" with a fresh eye.
Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1879181037/qid=1083998928/sr=
1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-3508671-8107228?v=glance&s=books
Dan Brown is laughing all the way to the bank, with "The Da Vinci
Code", isn't he? Guess he could buy your Brooklyn Bridge...
A closed mind is useless, isn't it?
:-)
Blessings,
(Name deleted)
My response to this note:
First, sorry about having sent that postcard to you! I truly thought
you were pulling my leg, challenging me to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge
as I threaten (in my "Dictionary
of Dissent") to do to those who believe the "Da Vinci Code" stuff.
If I had known you were serious, I wouldn't have sent that (that'd be
smart-alecky) (not that I am never smart-alecky, mind you).
Anyway, yes, I imagine that, if it were possible, Dan Brown could buy
the Brooklyn Bridge (so could Britney Spears, that genius!).
On to the point: my mind isn't closed (note, though, that it is
closed-minded to think that traditional Catholics must be
closed-minded). I used to be an "enlightened" agnostic, then a
"spiritual person" who was rather "New Agey" and VERY much the
feminist. I even wrote Elaine Pagels a fan letter once. I've read her
"Gnostic Gospels," I have a copy of "The Passover Plot," I've read what
the feminists have to say about Mary Magdalen, I even have a copy of
"The Chalice and the Blade" that I bought back in that hey-dey. I'm hip
to all that jazz and used to believe all that jazz. Then I discovered
they are all wrong. Way wrong. When this book comes out (July), get a
copy:
http://www.ignatius.com/books/davincihoax/
Now, if you
think that what Catholics believe wasn't believed until "Constantine
made Christianity the state religion" (which he never did, by the way;
read the Edict of Milan -- and then see how his successor, Julian the
Apostate, treated Christians), just read what the Christians (i.e.,
those gathered around those who are in the line of apostolic
succession) who lived before Constantine wrote. You'll find the
<gulp> patriarchy in all its glory, the Sacrifice of the Mass,
the Sacraments (all 7 of them!), ban on abortion (see the Didache, for
ex.), clerical sexual continence, praying for the dead, veneration of
relics, exhortations to chastity (and to virginity for those called to
it),etc.-- "Catholic stuff" through and through.
Finally, why is it that the Gnostics seem to have this idea that
traditional Catholics diss Mary Magdalen? We see her as one of our
greatest Saints! She was there at the very foot of the Cross, she was
the first to see the risen Christ, she was faithful to Him to the
apparent end and beyond. We believe she is glorified in Heaven,
interceding for us as we speak. We have churches and shrines named in
her honor, and icons, sculpture and paintings depicting her are
everywhere. We celebrate her Feast every 22 July. What gives? Is it
because we see her as a penitent? Why are there no issues among these
same people with our seeing St. Paul the same way -- as a penitent, one
who had been a murderer of Christians at that? No one accuses us of
man-hatred against St. Peter even though we acknowlege that our first
Pope denied Christ three times. Her repentance is part of the beauty of
Mary Magdalen's story, and one I can relate to very much.
This anti-Church slander alll seems to be an aspect of the incessant
accusations against the Church that She is misogynist or something --
even though we see a woman as God's very greatest creature, His
ultimate creation, the most perfect human being to have ever lived. It
is a woman, Mary, whom we call the Mother of God, the All Holy, the
Queen of Heaven, the Co-Redemptrix, the Ark of the Covenant, the
"Virgin Most Powerful," the Tower of David, the House of Gold, etc.
It's uncanny how we are accused by Protestants of "worshipping" (by
which they mean latria) a woman -- and are simultaneously accused by
seculars and Gnostics of hating women! The animus from the secular side
always seems to boil down to sexual issues (contraception, abortion,
homosexuality, fornication, masturbation. If those issues didn't exist,
I imagine everyone would be Catholic). Yeah, we expect women to keep
their knickers on before they're married and to remain faithful after
marriage. So sue us -- but don't forget we also expect the same thing
of men.
Eh, everybody hates the Church for one reason or another. But we expect
it:
John 15:18-20
"If the world hate you, know ye, that it hath hated me before you. If
you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because
you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you. Remember my word that I said to you:
The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me,
they will also persecute you: if they have kept my word, they will keep
yours also."
If there's a
particular aspect of the Da Vinci Code stuff you want to talk about,
I'm here, friend.
His blessings on you, and may He lead us both to all Truth.
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