I honored Mary Magdalene. Quoted the scholarship. Asked a sincere question. I was blocked. This is what happened—and what I learned from Sister R when I was the one who got exiled for reverence.
Ok, ok, ok, BUT. I wonder if Mary ever accused Peter of mansplaining. Cuz you KNOW she could have. Often. I’m assuming. When I read Diana’s response, I gasped. It has really bothered me and it took me a while to put my finger on it. Then, oh right: I saw it “Love your enemies.” I didn’t see that in her response to you; yes to the respecting of women’s scholarship, of course. But Jesus was not respected. Mary was not respected. We look to them. So ironically, me and all my gaspiness —I get to look to them just when I think someone else should be. The Way is fun, huh? So full of irony and mirrors and tight paths that have no exit. Thank you, VMB, for your humility and willingness to learn. I hope to get there soon. In the meantime keep risking offending people, please.
Ah, the tight paths with no exit. Yes. The Magdalene Method™, now available in spiral form with a complimentary mirror and a holy migraine.
And you nailed it. “Love your enemies” doesn’t mean excusing them. It means loving them enough not to pretend they’re right while they’re doing harm. Mary didn’t politely curtsy when Peter dismissed her vision. She wept. She stood her ground. She let the silence do its sacred work. That’s not weakness. That’s seismic grace.
And as for mansplaining? If anyone ever sighed louder than a first-century mystic woman being interrupted by a fisherman with unresolved ego issues, I’d like to see the scroll.
If expressing well exactly what we feel were easy, we would have a lower divorce rate. Same with hearing what is intended. I’m guilty of lack in both categories. Thanks for a reminder to be a little easier with myself and others.
The invitation to humility kind of sneaks up on us when we least expect it…. Especially when we are certain we are safe in its shroud. Thank you for the link to K.L. King’s work on the gospel according to Mary.
Emily, thank you for reminding me how humility actually works—like divine pickpocketing. Just when we’re tucked safely in the shroud, feeling wrapped and righteous, the lesson sneaks up like a shadow with teeth.
Mary told me back in ’98 that what I was seeking was already inside me—but I’m hard-headed, so she still has to whack my ego like a gong every few years just to get my attention.
While I do not have view of the dialogue you mentioned here in your post, I have heard your heart on this. And I am highly curious of your desire to elevate the beloved Mary Magdalene. While many of us have followed her for years, longed for her, opened wider doors to welcome her at our Tables, there’s still much to expand. To invite others on this journey. I spent the Lenten season with her and Spirit. It was a beautiful expression of resurrection. I welcome you to the Way of Mary…
Shelly, thank you for your gracious words. I appreciate your invitation to the Way of Mary.
For me, Mary Magdalene has always been more than a figure to be welcomed; she has been a guiding presence. From my earliest memories, she stood at the center—not as an outsider seeking inclusion, but as the teacher whose voice resonated with truth.
Reading her Gospel was not a revelation but a recognition. Her teachings have been a part of my spiritual practice for decades, shaping my understanding and guiding my path.
I share your desire to expand the circle, to invite others into this journey of honoring Mary Magdalene. May we continue to walk this path together, bringing her teachings to light and restoring her rightful place in our spiritual narratives.
Yes. Yes. And Yes 🙌🏻…. May it be so. You certainly don’t need my invitation for a journey that you have been traveling for many years it seems… but hear me say… all are welcome.
Please keep sharing about Mary.
It’s so easy to miss or leave out nuance in text for any of us at any given time. Guilty as well.
Sometimes sorry sometimes not.
Human.
Ok, ok, ok, BUT. I wonder if Mary ever accused Peter of mansplaining. Cuz you KNOW she could have. Often. I’m assuming. When I read Diana’s response, I gasped. It has really bothered me and it took me a while to put my finger on it. Then, oh right: I saw it “Love your enemies.” I didn’t see that in her response to you; yes to the respecting of women’s scholarship, of course. But Jesus was not respected. Mary was not respected. We look to them. So ironically, me and all my gaspiness —I get to look to them just when I think someone else should be. The Way is fun, huh? So full of irony and mirrors and tight paths that have no exit. Thank you, VMB, for your humility and willingness to learn. I hope to get there soon. In the meantime keep risking offending people, please.
Ah, the tight paths with no exit. Yes. The Magdalene Method™, now available in spiral form with a complimentary mirror and a holy migraine.
And you nailed it. “Love your enemies” doesn’t mean excusing them. It means loving them enough not to pretend they’re right while they’re doing harm. Mary didn’t politely curtsy when Peter dismissed her vision. She wept. She stood her ground. She let the silence do its sacred work. That’s not weakness. That’s seismic grace.
And as for mansplaining? If anyone ever sighed louder than a first-century mystic woman being interrupted by a fisherman with unresolved ego issues, I’d like to see the scroll.
If expressing well exactly what we feel were easy, we would have a lower divorce rate. Same with hearing what is intended. I’m guilty of lack in both categories. Thanks for a reminder to be a little easier with myself and others.
Well, not for honoring the Magdalene, but for forgetting to honor her other supporters.
The invitation to humility kind of sneaks up on us when we least expect it…. Especially when we are certain we are safe in its shroud. Thank you for the link to K.L. King’s work on the gospel according to Mary.
Emily, thank you for reminding me how humility actually works—like divine pickpocketing. Just when we’re tucked safely in the shroud, feeling wrapped and righteous, the lesson sneaks up like a shadow with teeth.
Mary told me back in ’98 that what I was seeking was already inside me—but I’m hard-headed, so she still has to whack my ego like a gong every few years just to get my attention.
—Virgin Monk Boy
Mary provides the whack AND the spiritual aspirin.
While I do not have view of the dialogue you mentioned here in your post, I have heard your heart on this. And I am highly curious of your desire to elevate the beloved Mary Magdalene. While many of us have followed her for years, longed for her, opened wider doors to welcome her at our Tables, there’s still much to expand. To invite others on this journey. I spent the Lenten season with her and Spirit. It was a beautiful expression of resurrection. I welcome you to the Way of Mary…
Shelly, thank you for your gracious words. I appreciate your invitation to the Way of Mary.
For me, Mary Magdalene has always been more than a figure to be welcomed; she has been a guiding presence. From my earliest memories, she stood at the center—not as an outsider seeking inclusion, but as the teacher whose voice resonated with truth.
Reading her Gospel was not a revelation but a recognition. Her teachings have been a part of my spiritual practice for decades, shaping my understanding and guiding my path.
I share your desire to expand the circle, to invite others into this journey of honoring Mary Magdalene. May we continue to walk this path together, bringing her teachings to light and restoring her rightful place in our spiritual narratives.
Yes. Yes. And Yes 🙌🏻…. May it be so. You certainly don’t need my invitation for a journey that you have been traveling for many years it seems… but hear me say… all are welcome.