00 22/07/2010 14:58



Thursday, July 22, 16th Week in Ordinary Time

From left: The Crucifixion, Raphael; The burial of Jesus, Caracci; the penitent with the perfume jar; two Greek icons; Mary Magdalene, El Greco; a detail of the Magdalene at the foot of the Cross; Noli me tangere, Fra Angelico.
ST. MARY MAGDALENE, Penitent
Long before Dan Brown decided to exploit her figure, Mary of Magdala was the subject of much fascination in literature and art, much of it fed by apocryphal gnostic gospels. The Bible unequivocally identifies her presence at the three great events in the final days of Christ on earth: the Crucifixion, the burial and the Resurrection, of which she was the first human to learn the news. She is described as one of the women disciples who followed Jesus and the Twelve in their travels just before the Passion "assisting them out of their means". Earlier, she is referred to as the woman from whom Jesus cast out 'sevend emons'. However, Bible readers have also identified her with the prostitute who, repenting her ways, threw herself at the feet of Jesus and anointed his feet with a jar of expensive perfume. She is also often confused with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She is not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, but according to tradition, she ended up in Ephesus, where John the Beloved had gone with the Blessed Mother, and that she died there. A French legend has it that she, along with Mary Cleophas and Mary Salome, travelled with their uncle Joseph of Arimathea after the Resurrection to flee anti-Christian persecution and landed on the southern coast of France near Marseilles. More unlikely legends sprung out of that, including that purveyed by Dan Brown's book. The Orthodox have always venerated her as 'the myrrh-bearer' and 'equal to the Apostles'. though none of the myriad legends associate her with any apostolic work.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/nab/readings/072210.shtml

No papal story in today's issue of the OR. On Page 1: A European jurist comments on the appeal presented by Italy and backed by several other European nations questioning the decision of the European Court for Human Rights to prohibit the display of the Crucifix in Italian schoolrooms; a decision is expected in autumn. The essay points out the fallacy of the court's reasoning which purports to defend the freedom of religion (or no religion at all) by suppressing an expression of one religion, and says the decision if upheld could well lead to the suppression of Christmas and Easter from the official calendars of the European Catholic nations. Other Page 1 stories: Europe's banks say they do not fear the stress tests to be imposed by the European Union; the US announces new sanctions against North Korea [not that any sanction has really worked]; daily street violence in Rio de Janeiro has killed 25,000 in the past three years; and the e-book hits its stride as Amazon announces that its e-book sales now outdo paperbook sales.


No Vatican announcements so far.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 22/07/2010 16:05]