by Lewis Williams
Peter said to Mary, “Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than all the other women. Tell us the words of the Savior that you remember, the things which you know that we don’t discuss because we haven’t heard them.”
Mary responded, “I will teach you about what is hidden from you.”
– The Gospel According to Mary
Dan Brown revealed to the world what the Catholic Church already knew – Mary Magdalene was never a prostitute.
In 1969, the Catholic Church revised 1,378 years of church doctrine to disassociate Mary Magdalene from being a prostitute. It was during the Dark Ages when a man gave Jesus’ most beloved disciple that label. In 591AD, “The Great” Pope Gregory combined the three Marys mentioned in the New Testament into one person. That was where the idea was born. Pope Gregory’s sermon spread and inflicted pain on women.
It seems it was Mary Magdalene who held the answers and teachings the other disciples were not privy to.
Yet despite this “revelation” I ask myself, why is it that many people still call Mary Magdalene a prostitute? Do these men actually fear that women may have inherited Mary’s favored place among Jesus’ disciples?
I wonder who from Princeton will be standing at the corner of Alexander Road and College Road on February 14th? Will they help re-tell Mary’s story, so women will no longer be viewed as deserving of violence or abuse simply because they are women?
My feeling is, on Valentine’s Day, Jesus will be dancing with the women, the spiritual teachers who still practice compassion despite being betrayed and brutalized. They have proven themselves worthy to transmit his teachings. Although we might not recognize him, his spirit will Rise and Lead the dance.
As we dance, I think we should take careful note which male clergy from all denominations, all over the world, use their power to state rape and violence is not acceptable behavior.
Ed Bacon Jr, the rector of All Saint’s Church in Pasadena, will be dancing. If you are in the Los Angeles area, you can join them for V-Day.
As a woman, I can say, with certainty, Mary would have taught the other disciples that inflicting Rape and Violence on women was not part of Jesus’ teachings.
Tales of Dragons, Rabbits and Roosters 