Reflections from our Pastors-

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Feast of the Assumption of Mary

A definition from the Boston Public Library: 

Assumption Day is celebrated on or around August 15 in many countries, particularly in parts of Europe and South America. Assumption Day commemorates the belief that when Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, died, her body was "assumed" into heaven to be reunited with her soul, instead of going through the natural process of physical decay upon death. Although the holiday goes by many different names -- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, and the Feast of the Assumption to name a few -- it has been celebrated since the fourth century C.E. In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church teaches that the Virgin Mary "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."

A bit of context of the time. Of the doctrine:

“…in the aftermath of two world wars and the horrors of the death camps at Auschwitz, defining the belief in the assumption of Mary was acknowledgement of the dignity of the human person and faith in the bodily resurrection. The psychologist Carl Jung surprisingly welcomed the definition and saw it as ‘the prototype of [a person’s] bodily resurrection.’ Possibly this recognition of the assumption of Mary links her to her ancient Jewish heritage and to the conviction of the Pharisees regarding bodily resurrection. They had proclaimed God’s incomparable power by which ‘at the end of time God will cause the dead to live again.’ Mary became an exemplar of this belief.”

Athans, MC. In Quest of the Jewish Mary, 2013. Orbis Books, NY.

Some of us born around and after World War II may have considered the Assumption as ‘proof’ that heaven was an actual place. This could be consoling because it meant we would see and be with those we loved who had died. However, it may be that as we proceed through the “order, disorder, reorder” that Fr. Richard Rohr talks about, and as we experience death of loved ones more often, we may no longer need this reassurance. It may be a moot point. However, now, what does this say about belief in the Assumption. Ambiguous, it seems.

Here is one version from Elizabeth A. Johnson:

“…I propose a pneumatological interpretation of Mary, the historical, graced, human woman, that remembers her as our companion in the communion of saints. Entirely particular, lived out within the constraints of first-century patriarchal society, her life with its concrete details in no way functions as culturally normative for women’s lives today, lives racing along in a world she never dreamed of. But the memory of her partnership with God through the power of the Spirit can create liberating energies for justice, especially given her low as poor and as female. In all her difference, Miriam of Nazareth abides in the circle of disciples as our sister, a poor woman to the people to whom God has done great things; a young Spirit-filled Jewish woman finding her joy in God; a woman vulnerable to violence in a patriarchal setting; a friend of God who made her own difficult choices with courage; a prophet whose word announced the awesome changes God’s coming would bring about in this world; a God-bearer who had divinity dancing under her heart in developing human flesh; a married woman who with her husband toiled hard to provide for their family; a woman with a questioning mind who pondered what God was doing in the midst of her life; the mother of the itinerant preacher Jesus, terribly worried about his ministry; a middle-aged woman whose agonized grief over the public execution of her firstborn connects her with legions of bereaved women; an elder in the budding community of the church. She kept faith. We remember her. We connect her story with our own amid the searching narrative of the human race in its history of suffering and hope.

We thereby find courage to enact the critical dream of God for the world. The wager I am making at the outset is that interpreting Mary in relation to the Spirit as a graced, concrete historical person amid the company of saints in heaven and on earth crafts a theology capable of promoting action on behalf of global justice and liberation, particularly empowering to the flourishing of women, coherent with elements of biblical, classical, and conciliar teaching, and productive of religious sense of our time.”

Johnson, E.A. Truly Our Sister: A Theology of Mary in the Communion of Saint,2003.

The Continuum, NY, pg112-113.

Hail Mary, full of grace, God is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us children now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Deep Peace, Rev. Jane

Image by Rodrigo Pignatta from Pixabay

This Week at Mary of Magdala

The ECC Truth and Reconciliation Communion invites you to attend this sponsored event

>----->Start viewing/reading this week<----<

Join us as we discuss The 1619 Project, A New Origin Story, by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Find out what the controversy is all about! How will this book inform your ministry and everyday life. You can READ or VIEW 'The 1619 Project' on your own in August, and September. Available in audio, print and even a streaming mini-series on HULU.

What are the implications of this noteworthy book?

Join one or both ninety-minute discussion sessions.

September 20 (Chapter 1-10) and September 27 (Chapter 11-18)

6:30p MT -- Via this Zoom link

No registration required; just join in. You are welcome to come and go as fits your schedule. 

Want to know more about 1619?

Listen to this excellent interview of Nikole-Hannah Jones. Learn how the book was produced for television here. Read the ECC Anti-Racism statement on the ECC website.

Please send all questions and comments via email to Rev. Joan Crawford.

Trinity Readers

Pick up the book this week t0 read before Sept 11

The Trinity Readers will meet on the second Monday to discuss: This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us.

When: September 11 at 9:30 am

Where: Room 2 and on Zoom here-

The author is writer and poet Cole Arthur Riley, the creator of Black Liturgies.  In this debut book the author weaves stories from her family with contemplative reflections.   

Questions?  Call Nadine Hunt at 970-825-3730.

Spanish Classes - Two Levels Offered

Spanish Classes will begin again for eight weeks

Two classes, beginning and intermediate/advanced levels, will be taught by Dr. Margaret Wicks and Lulu, our native speaker. 

• Starting Saturday September 7 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. 

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

Request for Prayers

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 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Celebrate with Mother Rosean Amaral presiding on August 13. You can view the video of readings and Mother Rosean's homily here.

Social Justice Reflection

Tom Moos, Chair Social Justice Ministry

This week, Jason Bordoff (the founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University), published an article in the NY Times giving evidence that the largest US oil producers aren’t walking the talk on investing in the transition to clean energy.  He noted:

• Fossil fuel use and emissions are still on the rise.
• Recently, Shell and BP became the latest big oil companies to reverse prior plans to reduce oil and gas production.  The companies also increased their dividends, rewarding shareholders rather than using profits to develop clean energy alternatives.
• Investor preference for dividends over reinvestment in low-carbon solutions reinforces skepticism that clean energy technologies may not be as profitable as oil.  Personal greed coupled with a short-term perspective, continues to be a more powerful motivator than long-term concern for the common good. If the energy industry doesn’t really believe that people will make the sacrifices necessary to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, their priority remains “business as usual”.
• Oil and gas companies are projected to spend more than $500 billion to identify, extract and produce new oil and gas supplies but have spent less than 5% of their production and exploration investments on low-emission energy sources.
• The Biden administration, and other governments that are “publicly” committed to slowing climate change, continue to encourage energy companies to produce more oil to keep gas prices in check.

Thus, some oil companies seem to be planning to be among the last oil producers standing rather than leaders in new clean-energy technologies. Also many companies are not even taking the steps necessary to reduce emissions from their own oil and gas operations, which today far exceed the emissions from all of the world’s cars combined.  Unless we are all held accountable to “walk the talk”, the race to slow climate change devolves into a very reckless ramble to a bleak future.

Mass Schedule

Weekly Mass Wednesday, Aug 16 at

11:00 am

• Weekly mass in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available

Sunday Aug 20 at 12:30 pm

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

Weekly Mass Wednesday, Aug 23 at

11:00 am

• Weekly mass in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available

Sunday Aug 27 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
• To read the ECC House of Pastors' Newsletter, click here
• An invitation to join the ECC Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Read Bishop Paul's invitation 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.