Sister Ellen Joseph shared this reflection at Mass in Dominican Convent on Monday, July 22, the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene.
Good morning, and happy Feast Day. Today is a glorious day for all Dominicans. It is a feast of preachers, and preachers means all of you gathered here and all Dominicans gathered throughout the world.
I have called you by name; you are mine. You probe me. You know, when I sit and when I stand. Before a word is ever on my lips, you are aware. (Is 43:1, Ps 139: 2,4 )
Today, as we celebrate Saint Mary Magdalene, a figure often misunderstood and misjudged, we must remember that her story is not so different from our own. We follow in her footsteps in many ways, a connection that resonates with each of us. We often associate preaching with formality, but Mary's story is a testament to the power of God’s Word expressed through each of us.
Imagine a dinner party. Everybody's talking, enjoying themselves. Nobody noticed, and Mary, who was not accepted in society, came alone. I believe she came in running because she knew this man, Jesus, would help and listen to her. Therefore, she kneels at the feet of Jesus, pouring out everything inside of herself. There are no words. There is just silence. There is just a presence between Jesus and her.
It's like every one of us. When we come to prayer, we kneel at the feet of Jesus and say, “Help me.” “Forgive me.” “Heal me.” And that prayer continues as we come to celebrate Mass. In the beginning, we ask for mercy; we ask for forgiveness. We ask for strength. And as the bread and wine are placed on the altar, remember that you, too, are gift. I was reminded by a Sister in grade school that we are gift, also. And just before the consecration, Father prays and asks the Holy Spirit to come down and bless these gifts so that they may be made holy and become the body and blood of Christ.
I believe that is what happened at that dinner. None of us really knows what took place exactly because there was not too much talking, and sometimes in prayer, there is not too much talking. But we know when Jesus is sending us out, when Jesus is asking us to do something. Mary knew it in her heart. And I believe she went out to the highways and byways. It was her presence. Maybe her silence with people. Perhaps she used a few words.
In the next scene, we see her crying. It is a heartbreaking scene. Someone she loved dearly, someone she went and talked with, who healed and freed her, her friend, is now a condemned man hanging on a cross. What happened again was that she had the strength to go and be present to Jesus, where no other woman would dared to go, except the other women standing at the foot of the cross.
I believe that every one of us does that standing every day as we stand, as we sit with our Sisters who are lonely, who are sick, who are dying. We acknowledge them when we say their name. I am looking at them now. I am Ellen; hello, Miriam. And I believe that God has called each of us, and continues to reach out to others through us. Because now we have the strength from our prayers and are asked to go out. I see this with our Sisters.
One day, two Sisters were walking down the hallway with the help of rollators. One says, “Are you tired?” “No.” Then, a little further, “Are you tired?” “No.” “Well, then, let’s go a little further.” That ministry of silence, the ministry of presence, and now the ministry of a few words happens quite frequently.
I look at our Sisters gathered in Siena Hall's gathering space, surrounded by staff encouraging them, tickling their funny bones, getting them to laugh, or maybe just standing with them and listening to their stories. Once again, we witness the ministry of silence, presence, and a few words.
St. Francis was known to have once said, “Preach always and, if necessary, use words.” We don’t hear too many words from Mary up to this point in her life. The scripture does not say it. But we come to another scene where, in the pre-dawn hours, a grief-stricken Mary approaches the dark tomb, but it is empty. Her tears begin to flow again. Where is he? She can’t even see that angel dressed in white at the tomb. Mary has nothing. And she looks over to the side, and she sees this man. “Well, he must be the gardener; maybe he can help me?” “Can you tell me where you have put him?” And I believe Jesus said, “I think I better answer her because right now she needs reassurance.”
So he says, “Hello Mary!” Hello Ellen! Hello Elizabeth! Hello Betty! Hello Catherine! Hello Bridget! Hello Rose!… It’s then that we hear Jesus whispering to us. Do we feel Christ within us? It’s then when we’re calling out. “Where have you gone? You’re not hearing me!” I need you right now!” And doesn’t Jesus respond to us? And we say, “Oh, this is good; I want to hold on to this. This is really important; I want to stay with this thought.” Jesus has other plans for each and every one of us. He says, “Don’t cling to me. Rather, go out and tell everyone what you have seen and heard!”
And isn’t that what we do every day? We come away from our prayers, and we go out and preach the good news. We think preaching is standing at the ambo with a mic in our hand. We forget there’s another way of preaching. The preaching of silence, preaching of presence, and maybe preaching with a few words.
“How can we?” you might say. We can because, like Mary, we receive strength from our prayers and the Eucharist. We are the body of Christ going out into the world. So I encourage us as we try to live the Dominican charism, to bless, to praise, to preach. Let us take Saint Mary Magdalene’s example and follow in her footsteps.
Thanks to Katy Olsen for her beautiful drawing of Mary Magdalene's surprise on Easter morning. Click here for more information on this image.
– Sister Ellen Joseph Moore, OP
Sister Ellen Joseph volunteers at Dominican Convent after serving 28 years as Chaplain at the Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, NY. She previously ministered as a Pastoral Associate.