Today is the feast of St. Mary of Magdala, the Apostle to the Apostles.
To mark this occasion I share Edwina Gateley's beautiful poem, "Tell Them." It's from her 1993 book, A Warm Moist Salty God: Women Journeying Towards Wisdom.
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Tell Them
By Edwina Gateley
Breaking through the powers of darkness
bursting from the stifling tomb
he slipped into the graveyard garden
to smell the blossomed air.
Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
that I have journeyed far
into the darkest deeps I've been
in nights without a star.
Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
that fear will flee my light
that though the ground will tremble
and despair will stalk the earth
I hold them firmly by the hand
through terror to new birth.
Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
the globe and all that's made
is clasped to God's great bosom
they must not be afraid
for though they fall and die, he said,
and the black earth wrap them tight
they will know the warmth
of God's healing hands
in the early morning light.
Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
smelling the blossomed air,
tell my people to rise with me
to heal the Earth's despair.
By Edwina Gateley
Breaking through the powers of darkness
bursting from the stifling tomb
he slipped into the graveyard garden
to smell the blossomed air.
Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
that I have journeyed far
into the darkest deeps I've been
in nights without a star.
Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
that fear will flee my light
that though the ground will tremble
and despair will stalk the earth
I hold them firmly by the hand
through terror to new birth.
Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
the globe and all that's made
is clasped to God's great bosom
they must not be afraid
for though they fall and die, he said,
and the black earth wrap them tight
they will know the warmth
of God's healing hands
in the early morning light.
Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
smelling the blossomed air,
tell my people to rise with me
to heal the Earth's despair.
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Mary of Magdala
Apostle to the Apostles
The Passion of Christ (Part 11) – Jesus Appears to Mary
"I've Been Changed, Yes, Really Changed"
Image: Artist unknown.
1 comment:
Thanks for a beautiful poem highlighting Mary Magdalene’s role as the first witness to the resurrection. As a lesbian Christian, I can relate to Mary Magdalene as someone who had a close relationship with Jesus, but got an undeserved bad reputation in the church for sexual sins. I felt moved to blog about Mary Magdalene on her feast day this year. People who are drawn to this fascinating woman saint may enjoy the artwork I posted at The Many Faces of Mary Magdalene.
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