I AM MARY, MAGDALENE.

My Lord has been my Saviour,

He accepted me where many have rejected,

Where many would have stoned a sinner!

I am Mary, the Magdalena.

I have been possessed, by many, with power;

The body, a chattel of pleasure,

The prison of my mind and soul,

Brief encounter for which there are no rewards.

My life has been one of silence!

A voice spoken and heard within.

The justice of the mob lacks mercy,

The weak and defenceless easily are abused.

Who is the guilty party?

It is men who have held control;

They have set the rules upon my welfare,

They are first to cry foul when caught out.

My sacrifice would have been for my own transgression,

Where was the partner to the transaction?

Freedom has its price!

Those who can pay, usually will.

The words that chastised the guilty,

These were the keys to my shackles,

He who unleashed the truth,

Removed the lash from my back.

I am Mary, Magdalena!

To whom should I turn in my depression,

My life was spared by one man’s effort,

To Him I owe so much!

I did not know who spoke in my defence,

When words were uttered without aggression,

The crowd stopped! “Who amongst you is without sin?”

They turned away without casting any stone.

There was no price to pay, no admonishment;

A caution given, “Go, sin no more!”

My eyes were opened; so was my heart,

I later found, this man was a prophet.

Christ the Lord! Christ the Saviour!

Now I knew that my life had changed.

I gave myself, in spirit, to His service,

I was the willing handmaiden of this Lord Jesus.

I was baptized and accepted in faith;

The forgiveness given of all my sin,

I pledged my soul to witness to His Word.

I offered my toil, to minister to His need.

My fellow disciples, out of good grace,

Have left my past cleansed of disgrace,

They have welcomed me as one of themselves,

They protected me, as you may read.

I take no pride in my history,

Yet, I feel no greater upset,

Each day and night that has passed,

Is a past that I have left.

The words of comfort came from my Lord.

Again, I could remain silent,

For there was no enemy to fear,

My protector commanded all things far and near.

My brothers and sisters followed Jesus,

Listening to the depth of His speech,

Taking the intent of all that He taught,

They applied it where they ought.

There were times when one or two expressed jealousy,

They were rebuked, in a manner so gently.

No one would point a finger,

Or restrict my contribution to this ministry.

I cried tears of sadness, of deep misery,

When my Lord Jesus was taken from me;

The night of vigil was long and numbing,

But I partook of my responsibility.

We sisters of the faith supported each other,

In this time of trouble we were strong.

We took up the responsibility of our role,

We ministered to one and all.

I cried in the garden where the body was laid;

The herbs and spices we put to one side.

We had to return to complete and prepare,

The final act of purity to be done there.

What thief would have removed the stone,

To steal the gifts of an empty tomb?

Our surprise could not reduce our grief,

For all was gone; leaving for our pain, no relief.

I enquired of the gardener who was there,

If he knew of the whereabouts of My Lord;

I could not comprehend, in my tears, His reply,

But I fell down when I knew; “Rabboni!”

I could not embrace the one I loved,

Yet I had peace beyond all that I knew.

I was glad to run and deliver the message,

To our group of disciples, who were unaware.

We were visited by our Lord Christ, and given a gift,

Each one of the disciples received with love.

The cloud of darkness of the crucifixion day,

Was erased with great light and cast away.

There was much to be done to spread the Word,

That Jesus Christ was the one true Lord,

He came and redeemed our life from death,

He gave us the new life that replaced what we left.

I am Mary, Magdelene.

I understood the gifts of love;

Gifts given from God above,

That reconciled Adam and Eve!

May 13th. 1996 © Will George.