Good day, 

I understand that Emmaus is having (or perhaps it has passed by) a Sundae Night on a Wednesday. If anyone from Emmaus can confirm with details, that’d be great.

Worship on the Beach: you are welcome to join The Parish of St. Joseph & St. George on Sunday, July 30th, 10am at the W.I Park in Richards Landing. Worship will be followed by a picnic brunch.

If there are any other events that you’d like to have announced, please let me know.

A Liturgical Note For You:  Okay, actually, this isn’t liturgical but it is important. We need to talk. Please read the information below to find out more about Mary of Magdala but, what I’d really like you to know is what she is not. People love to speculate and to judge and this has resulted in Mary Magdalene being one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented persons of the bible. There is absolutely no biblical evidence that she was ever Jesus’ wife, that she ever bore his children, and that she was ever a former prostitute forgiven and taken in by Jesus. Mary Magdalene was a strong, independent woman, and a devout follower of “The Way.”  Her testimony, her eye-witness account of Jesus’ resurrection, is crucial in our faith and in the story of our salvation. This is the way in which she deserves to be remembered and celebrated. It was Pope Gregory the Great who, on September 14, 591, cemented Mary of Magdala’s unsubstantiated reputation as a former prostitute. He declared, in his sermon that day, that she and Luke’s unnamed sinner anointing Jesus’ feet, and Mary of Bethany (who does the same thing in the Gospel of John) are one and the same person. This was likely done in order to have a wonderful success story – the horrible sinner is forgiven and becomes a devout follower. We don’t need to make unsupported connections to have a success story: Jesus forgives everyone who turns to him. Here is an article with more detail if you’d like to read it: https://uscatholic.org/articles/201603/who-framed-mary-magdalene/  Mary Magdalene as prostitute and Mary Magdalene as wife of Jesus are legends that developed long after the real Mary Magdalene lived and well after the Gospels were written. These theories may be interesting but they are not biblical.  Here is another article that addresses both of these legends: https://www.history.com/news/mary-magdalene-jesus-wife-prostitute-saintFor Your Devotions:

Saturday, July 22nd is the Holy Day of St. Mary Magdalene. She is one of Jesus’ most celebrated disciples. In fact, in the tradition of the Eastern Church, Mary Magdalene is regarded as the equal of an apostle.  According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus cured her of seven demons.  All four Gospel writers tell of her unwavering devotion to Jesus in staying with him while he hung on the cross and name Mary Magdalene as one of the women who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning. Both the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John say she was the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. For more information:   https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Mary-Magdalene

In the joy of Christ,

Susan