There are many legends concerning Mary, otherwise called
the Magdalene. Moreover, through the ages a great many paintings and sculptures
as well as places of worship have been created in her honour. It would
therefore seem that the Biblical references to this outstanding character have
been sources of inspiration for all generations of Christians.
My own interest in Mary Magdalen dates from 1976. The
chance request of a parishioner to think of a fitting preparation for Easter
led me to think of a meditation on the Resurrection stories, in which her name
occurred. As it happened I had been reading those same texts in my grammar
school class and my pupils had been hugely interested. Each of them was happy
at the end of the lesson to take home the New Testament (English version and
obviously a handout to the military, left behind in our Dutch school after the
occupation in the Second World War).
I widened my subject by adding the other references to
Mary Magdalen that I found in the Bible and devised a dramatic monologue to get
the inspiration across. I found my audience spellbound and deeply moved. Since
then I have repeated this performance in many places, with Mary Magdalen
recounting the stories about Jesus Christ. It appeared to be a perfect medium
and men and women, Protestants and Roman Catholics alike, were deeply
touched.
I started a quarter of a century ago with the image of
Mary as a repentant sinner. The more I meditated, however, the more I found I
could not hold on to this view. I began to see her as the same woman as Mary of
Bethany, with a strong character, great faith and an insatiable thirst for
spiritual food. I have no pretensions of being a Bible scholar, yet I would
like to share my inspiration and observations with a wider audience through
An Alabaster Jar.
