Reflections from Our Pastors - September 12, 2023

Mary of Magdala Community, a Prophetic People

Sunday’s first reading was Jeremiah 22: 13-16. Going on a journey with God, we, the collective we have been on a journey with God. From a glimpse of the Creator with the dawning of consciousness, to the salvific journey with the ever-present Israelites, ‘People of God, ’to the self-emptying of God into humanity with Jesus the Christ, to us in this evolutionary, transforming and digital age. In this passage from Jeremiah, we can hear the Spirit speaking to us of the Communion of Saints, the Web of Life (Chief Seattle), and quantum entanglement. Let us take what is ours to take from the prophet, Jeremiah. See footnote for the Jeremiah passage.

There have always been prophets, minor and major, (can you hear the heavenly sounds in the minor and major), and yesterday, Fr. R. Rohr calls them inside/outside people. By this he means, always on the edge of not being a member of the company/institutional supporter but being outside the institution yet belonging. Being inside we run the risk of losing a sense of objectivity, critical thinking. Being inside we lose the value of being outside and hearing other voices. This might be the danger of too much homogeneity. Outside voices are uncomfortable.    

Fr Richard wrote yesterday, 9/11/2023 (2), “Unless we somehow retain our distance, and have healthy and balanced outside voices, we become an insider and start protecting the institution. That is what happens to all of us in any system we get into. Once we accept these rules and this game, to a certain degree, we lose the ability to creatively criticize it anymore…”

Fr. Richard continues, “…we can only criticize something if we walk the narrow line of being an inside/outside person that the prophets dared to walk…There are few prophets who can love their church, their country, or their company so much that they see it clearly and deeply and are free to criticize it. All of our actions and prophetic words must come out of and experience of gratitude for what is given. Only out of the joy and the fullness of what is given can we dare to speak against what is not given…The model of the prophet is one who can love and yet criticize, and who can speak words of correction out of an experience of gratitude.”

And Jesus asks Peter, “And you,” he said, “who do you say that I am?” Matt 16:15.

Who do you recognize as a prophet/s in your everyday life? Might you be a prophet?

Peace Within

Pastor Jane

(1)  From the prophet Jeremiah (22:13-16)

“Woe to those who build their house upon exploited labor, who build their upper rooms with injustice, who make their neighbors work for nothing, and do not give them fair wages.

Woe to those who say, ‘I will build myself a spacious house with large upper rooms,’ and who cut out windows for it, paneling it with cedar, and painting it with vermilion.

“Does it make you great because you compete in cedar? “Instead, intercede for those who work hard yet hardly eke out a life. That will make you great. Then, you would have a great house. To consider those who are in need, is not this to know Me?” says God.

The Word of the prophet, Jeremiah.  Thanks be to God

(2) meditations@cac.org 9.11.2023

Image by Herbert Bieser from Pixabay, Chartes,Notre Dame

This Week at Mary of Magdala

301 Faith Partners Get Together 

Join us at this month's get together.



When: Thursday, September 14 at 3:30 pm

Where: Stodgy Brewing Company 1802 Laporte Ave.

Who: Everyone is invited!

The brewery is located on the north side of the street just before the old Salud Medical Center. A parking lot is included. This brewery is a fascinating old establishment that was previously a store selling wood stoves and fireplaces called Friendly Fire dating back to 1974 - 2007.

The brewery has preserved the old wood theme and provides customers with a beautiful outdoor patio as well as cozy indoor seating. Project Pizza food truck will be on location that day!

REMEMBER: all Fellowship gatherings are all-inclusive, informal and no RSVP is needed! The 3:30 meeting time works best for a quieter period for conversation.

Spanish Classes - Two Levels Offered

Spanish Classes is now in progress! Two classes, beginning and intermediate/advanced levels, will be taught by Dr. Margaret Wicks and Lulu, our native speaker. Not too late to join in!

• Thursdays through October 26.
• Beginners session at 3 pm: for those who want to learn conversational Spanish
• Intermediate/advanced speakers at 4pm: For those with basics or more knowledge.

We will meet in Room 2 and zoom will be available

To join via Zoom click HERE. 

Meeting ID: 350 899 592 Passcode: 028929

All are welcome! Our group is easy-going and relaxed. Fun and learning are what we are all about! Bienvenidos a todos!

The Food Truck Festival Returns! Friday September 22 at 5:30pm

We need help! Sign up to help with flier distributors, poster hanging in local businesses, set up, clean up, and more. Click here to volunteer.

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Monty Hogan's trio will provide music and the lines will be shorter with three trucks this year.

• Steamy Weiners (with vegan options)
• The Goodness Truck sliders, with veggie options.
• BaNomANom frozen fruit treats, which are gluten free and vegan

Open to family, friends and neighbors!!

We need volunteers!!

Click here

Love walking?

Want your walk to benefit the Foodbank?

Register this week!

The 301 Faith Partners are invited to participate in the Ft. Collins CROP WALK this year on Oct. 1st at 1 PM at First Presbyterian Church. It is a 3-mile walk through Old Town Ft. Collins to raise funds and awareness about world hunger. Ft. Collin’s churches and organizations have participated in the effort for 34 years and raised tens of thousands of monies for alleviating hunger world-wide and for our own Food Bank of Larimer County. 

If you’re interested in being a walker or a sponsor, go to crophungerwalk.org/fortcollinsco. and registering there. We have a team established—301 Partners “Hunger Busters” so register under our team. If you cannot walk on Oct. 1st, we have an alternate date, Sept. 24. 

Questions? Contact Jo Gearhart at gearhartjm@yahoo.com or Rebecca Roland at rebeccalynneblue@gmail.com

Read the newsletter from the

ECC House of Pastors

In this September issue:

• News and updates from around the US
• The 2024 ECC Synod (here in Colorado)
• Celebrating 20 years of the ECC in North America
• Click here to read.

Please send prayer requests to marymagdalafc@gmail.com. Prayers will be listed for one month unless requested for longer. Prayers for the repose of souls will be listed for six months unless requested for a longer time.

Celebrating the 23nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Celebrate with Mother Rosean Amaral presiding on September 10. The video of the homily and readings will be available on Thursday,

Mass Schedule

Weekly Mass Wednesday, Sep 13 at

11:00 am

• Weekly mass in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available

Sunday Sept. 17 at 12:30 pm

• Father Michael Nicosia is presiding. In-person and with Zoom

Weekly Mass Wednesday, Sep 13 at

11:00 am

• Weekly mass in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available

Sunday Sept. 24 at 12:30 pm

• Rev. Jane Reina is presiding. In-person and with Zoom

Did you miss an article or announcement?

Past e-bulletins posted here



• ECC House of Laity, NEWSLETTER, August 2023, read here

• Dedicating Altar Flowers? Contact Joan Stepleton at JoanStepleton@gmail.com or 864-650-2816. A $25 dollar donation is kindly requested.

• The purpose of the Mary Magdalene Society is to financially support aspiring and current priests and encourage the development of youth in their spiritual journeys. Read more here.

• The Summer newsletter from the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Ecumenical Communion can be read here

Mary of Magdala Parish Community

All are invited and ALL are welcome to join our parish community.

• Here is the webpage with more information on membership
• If you would like to contribute to Mary of Magdala, here are ways to schedule a single or recurring Sunday offertory.
• Need to view, update information or download a copy of the member directory? Just click here.



The ECC Regional Website is now live - View here.

Newsletters of Trinity Lutheran Church and the St. Paul's Episcopal  

Click here for the Trinity Lutheran Church monthly newsletter, "Tidings". And here is St Paul's weekly bulletin.