Page 43 - Catholic Extension Magazine - Spring 2016

IGNArtfuIlTPrayEer 43 PRAYER TO ST. MARY MAGDALENE
St. Mary Magdalene,
you came with springing tears to the spring of mercy, Christ. From Him your burning thirst was abundantly refreshed; through Him your sins were forgiven;
by Him your bitter sorrow was consoled.
My dearest lady, well you know by your own life what counsel a soul in misery needs,
what medicine will restore the sick to health.
You are now with the chosen because you are beloved and are beloved because you are chosen of God.
Turn to my good that ready access that you once had and still have to the spring of mercy.
What can I say, how can I nd words to tell,
about the burning love with which you sought Him, weeping at the tomb, and wept for Him in your seeking?
How He came, who can say how or with what kindness,
to comfort you, and made you burn with love still more; how He showed Himself when you did not think to see Him; and how He sought you when, seeking Him, you wept.
Hear me, O Lord, for Your love,
and for the dear merits of Your beloved Mary.
Shake my heart out of its indolence, Lord,
and in the ardor of Your love
bring me to the everlasting sight of Your glory,
where with the Father and the Holy Spirit You live and reign, God, forever. Amen.
—BY ST. ANSELM OF CANTERBURY (1033–1109)
On the Tuesday a er Easter This stained-glass window is include a large religious education
from Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Win eld, Alabama. Together with
its two mission parishes, Holy Spirit covers four counties with a territory the size of Rhode Island. Catholics in this part of the Bible Belt make up only 0.5 percent of the population. Five years ago the parishioners mounted a strong response to the heartbreaking devas- tation caused by several tornadoes that had torn through the area.
The parish’s many active ministries
this year, the reading from the Gospel of John tells of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with
the risen Christ. Mary Magdalene was the rst witness to the resurrection and has been given the honorary title of “apostle to the apostles.” This scene has been a favorite motif in Christian art since late antiquity, and the artworks are usually titled “Noli me tangere” — a er the Latin for Jesus’ words “Do not hold onto me” in John 20:17.
program, four Christian Centers of Con- cern and other assistance to the poor, a growing Hispanic ministry, a shelter for ba ered women and children, a prison ministry and a ministry to the sick and homebound. Over the past 35 years, Catholic Extension’s support to the parish has included salary subsidies for its pastors and sta and funding for the building of a parish hall/catechetical center and a new church.