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Collective Worship Resource


Mary Magdalene

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AGE: Secondary

THEME: Mary Magdalene

AIM:
To show that - no matter who they are or what they've done - everyone has a place in God's love.

RESOURCES:
Some students to help prepare the collective worship (see 'Development'):
One or two to research / compose illustrations on the subject of 'rejection'.
One or two to research a brief written piece on the same subject.

DEVELOPMENT:
The feast day of Mary Magdalene is 22 July. She is the patron saint of repentant sinners.

Tradition suggests that Mary came from Magdala, a town on the western coast of the Sea of Galilee. She was:
  • healed by Jesus - the Bible tells of her being 'healed of seven demons' (Luke 8:1-2);
  • present at Jesus' crucifixion (Matthew 27:55-56);
  • the first person to whom Jesus appeared after his resurrection (Mark 16:1-11);
  • in St John's Gospel, told by Jesus to take a message to the disciples (John 20:10-18).
Clearly Mary Magdalene was a central figure amongst Christ's early followers. Some people suggest she may have been the 'sinner' referred to in Luke 7:36-50 but there is no evidence to support the link ('sinner' here means a prostitute). However, it is an example of how a story can become a powerful teaching point without being literally true.

This collective worship shows how the rejected have a place and value. Select some students to help you prepare by explaining the background about Mary Magdalene and the aim of the worship.

Get one or two to research / compose illustrations on the subject of 'rejection'. Get one or two more to research a brief written piece on the same subject.

Introduce the worship with a brief account of Mary Magdalene's story - use the Bible references to 'illustrate' what is said.

Explain how this comparatively simple story has a revolutionary message:
  1. Jesus accepts someone who has been mentally ill on equal terms with anyone else;
  2. Jesus chooses Mary to be the first to tell the news of his resurrection - even though in Jesus' day a woman's word was not trusted and their evidence was not allowed in court (emphasize the power of the trust and responsibility given to Mary);
  3. The story that Mary may have been a prostitute is untrue but the fact that it is still referred to is a reminder of how long-lasting prejudice can be. But it also illustrates how God / Jesus is ready to use the most unlikely people, even people with a colourful past!
Use the examples that your students have prepared to illustrate the damaging nature of rejection and the pain it causes. Contrast this with the non-selective nature of Jesus' message that all are valued, especially the troubled and weak (Matthew 11:28-30).

REFLECTION:
Read from One Minute Nonsense by Anthony De Mello (Loyola Press, Chicago) the following passage:
'The Master hardly ever spoke of spiritual topics... other ways of teaching than through the use of words.'

MUSIC:
'You Can't Hurry Love' by Phil Collins on Phil Collins... Hits (Virgin 24384 66014 7).

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES:
Continue work started in the collective worship about people who seem to be disenfranchised - individuals, groups in society, nations. Brainstorm to make a list of them and then discuss why each might suffer from the prejudice of others. What makes people prejudiced? What can be done to change the situation?

This is a substantial piece of work. It would be possible to turn it into a display for the RE classroom or wider school by including images from magazines and newspapers, together with relevant quotations from holy books.

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Copyright © Culham Institute 2000-2012