Spirit Awakens

"A single event can awaken within us

a stranger totally unknown to us.  To

live is to be slowly born."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Forty years ago, I was asked to play the part of Mary Magdalene in a church Christmas play.  I didn't give much thought to accepting this role, until I studied her life and the role she played in Christian history.  I was surprised to come across controversies about her which kept me digging deeper into this woman's life.  Parallels with Mary Magdalene continued to surface in my life.

Mary Magdalene flows through the blood of every woman.   Our life experiences may be totally foreign to each other, but at the core, we experience the purity of blood.  Women are often misunderstood, stereotyped, and branded by the impatience of man.  We are  judged by analytical, critical and biased information.

When we view  the expansive role of Mary Magdalene, we see a woman in relationship to her community, her family, and to Jesus the Christ.  She was criticized, judged and stoned, but rebuilt her strength through a relationship with the Divine.  She flourished, became a leader among women, and carried faith into the hearts of others.  This woman's spirit awakens within us all.