Mary Magdala ~ Pariah?
Mary Magdala
Spilt oils on his feet and wept
Begging forgiveness
~~~~~
Judas, pariah?
Or pawn in a cosmic game
At Gethsemane.
We have just finished performing the Gloucester Mystery Plays in the fabulous setting of Gloucester Cathedral and Worcester Cathedral. The plays were directed by Sheila Mander and received some very good reviews. One former actor said,
“Her motley crew of patches, rude mechanicals, all shapes, sizes, ages, levels of acting ability, musicianship and technical support experience were met together to serve one of the greatest stories ever told – amateurs and professional all – with God (we all know that He would really like to be Jeremy Irons) topping and tailing the entire affair. The spirit of Ye Olde rough and ready Middle English Mystery Play tradition is both honoured in its purest form and updated to modern relevance in a beautifully structured piece. Each actor, amateur and professional alike, somehow manages through simple, honest and often movingly unsophisticated service to this mammoth narrative to deliver one of the most touching and engaging pieces of theatre you could ever wish to attend. It is indeed theatre fulfilling many of its most powerful functions. Like smokers who quit the habit judge people who smoke, ex actors like myself can be an impossible audience to please. This little gem pleased me no end. It is charming, challenging, provocative but most essentially of all it is warmly approachable.” I can’t weait for the next production! Enjoy some of the photos below of rehearsals.
http://www.gmpfestival.com/diary-of-events/
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Heavenhappens 
I loved you haiku! One can say so much with so few words – as you just did.
Blessings ~ Wendy
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Indeed that’s why I love Haiku! I love to pare down my thoughts to a few syllables as I find it really concentrates the mind. If I write other prose or poetry I tend to go into verbal overload!
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Wonderful, I remember the story of Mary Magdala from my rather brief experience with church
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She was brilliantly played and it was certainly moving! You just need to find the right church!
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You bring out some really good questions here !!!
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Yes I am always rather sorry for Judas, which is probably not very PC, but I think his part was preordained! Did he really have free choice?
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Interesting haiku and thought provoking 🙂
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The whole experience of doing the Mystery Plays was very moving and thought provoking. It brought the whole story to life for me. I wish I could go to the Holy Land and see the place for myself!
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Who is truly the outcast?
Haiku Pariah
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I’m not sure but today I saw many sleeping rough on the streets of London. It breaks my heart to see that there is so much wealth in the world held by the few, yet so much poverty for the many. Are the homeless and jobless today’s outcasts?
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Thought provoking!
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In a good way I hope. It did me good to be part of the Mystery Plays as it brought the whole story to life and was very moving. Man’s inhumanity to man never ceases to amaze and distress me.
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Your second I would say is correct.
The first is way off. Mary M was the disciple that Jesus loved above all others and she knew everything that he did.
Peace be with you:)
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Interesting comment! I was moved by the fact that the other disciples, especially Judas, in our play were anti Mary Magdala ~ because of her lifestyle and reputation as well as because she “wasted” expensive oils on Jesus’ feet. I still hear of women being judged harshly over and over again because of their “choices” or lifestyles ~ too many children/ no children/working/not working/what they wear/what they spend their money on/what they cook/don’t cook/smoking/drinking wine ~ the list is endless! Jesus loved Mary because Jesus saw into her soul ~ her true worth ~ and judged her only on that.
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