Sunday
After breakfast at the apartment we will attend the 10:30 am Solemn Mass for the elevation of the relics of St. Cedonius, whom according to tradition is the man born blind and healed in Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John. Bishop Dominique Rey will preside and preach the Mass. After lunch with others attending Adoratio2014 we will drive to the Hostellerie-de-la-Sainte-Baume and check in. This hostellerie, which is run by the Dominicans, will be our home for the next six days. We will have a little tour of the hostellerie, chapel, bookshop, cemetery and the grounds. Later we’ll meet behind the hostellerie and together we will pray our Novena to Saint Mary Magdalene. We will have dinner at the hostellerie restaurant and then early to bed.
SARCOPHAGUS OF ST. CEDONIUS IN THE CRYPT
HOSTELLERIE-DE-LA-SAINTE-BAUME
Novena to Saint Mary Magdalene—Day 2
Opening Prayer—Saint Mary Magdalene, you who were pardoned by Jesus, you who greatly loved; show us the way to true conversion and purity of heart. With love you followed Jesus to serve him; teach us to freely offer our lives for our brothers and sisters. You stood at the cross of Jesus with Mary and John. Obtain the grace of faith and hope in our sufferings. On Easter morning, you received from Jesus the mission of announcing the resurrection to His disciples. Help me to believe that life is stronger than death, that love triumphs over all. Dearest Saint Mary Magdalene, please intercede on behalf of my special intention (recite your special intention here). Through your intercession, I trust in the Lord, AMEN.
Gospel of Luke 8:1-3—1 And it came to pass afterwards, that he traveled through the cities and towns, preaching and evangelizing the kingdom of God; and the twelve with him: 2 And certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary who is called Magdalene, out of whom seven devils were gone forth, 3 And Joanna the wife of Chusa, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who ministered unto him of their substance.
Novena Prayer Day 2—The nameless woman who washes Jesus’s feet is now named Mary. And her town of origin is also named. She originates from Magdala. Hence Mary the Magdalene. There has been a debate among Scripture scholars about the Mary’s presented in the Gospel. Is the woman who washes Jesus’ feet, the woman named Mary relieved of seven demons, Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus? Is this also the Mary at the foot of the cross and the one who meets Jesus on Easter Morning? Magdala is a town with a reputation. It was a strategic town in the Roman control of the Jewish people. And because of the presence of the army encampment, it had a reputation for debauchery. According to rabbinic literature, the women of Magdala, for the sake of survival, had given themselves over to “infidelity.” What this infidelity consists of is not clear. Did it mean outright prostitution? Had they given themselves to legal marriage or concubinage to the soldiers? Or had they simply abandoned the practice of the faith? All of these would have been considered infidelity according to Jewish law. In any case, in that time, any woman known to come from Magdala was looked upon with suspicion, at the least. This is likely the source of Mary Magdalene’s reputation she has lived with for centuries. Although there is nothing in the Bible that indicates that she is guilty of the sin of prostitution, it does nevertheless make for vivid imagery in Christian art, teaching, and preaching. Mary is relieved of seven demons. Was it the seven capital sins? Were they seven physical demons? The Bible doesn’t say. Seven in the Bible is the number for holiness. And so seven demons means totally devoid of holiness. Jesus restores her completely by expelling seven demons and replacing them with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. We all have “spirits” which draw us away from holiness towards sin. We may not have the privilege of having all the evils that taunt us and tempt us removed in a single instant. We don’t know that Mary’s were either. More realistically is the day to day removal of the evil to be replaced by the good. Mary was likely following Jesus at a distance, or listening to him for a long period of time and gradually came to trust in his compassion and mercy. Conversion of the heart is more frequently a day-to-day, even lifetime process where absolute holiness will be achieved on that day when we stand face to face with God.
Closing Prayer—Lord, Our God, you have consecrated your beloved son and you have sent him into the world to announce the good news to the poor and freedom to captives. Grant to us, like Saint Mary Magdalene, to be free from the grasp of the Evil One so that we may follow the Christ with free and generous hearts. He who reigns for ever and ever, AMEN.
