Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

I had a strange encounter yesterday, the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene. I caught the bus into town rather early to get a few things done before a mid-day appointment with my lawyers, but finished about half-an-hour before Thursday Mass started at St. Pat's. They have weekday mass on Tuesday and Thursday. I had planned that as one of my activities for the day but didn't think I would have time to make it, but seeing as I did, I went.

I was aware that St. Mary Magdalene's feast day was coming up, but didn't make the connection that it was yesterday until the mass started and Monsignor announced we are celebrating her feast. Many people know St. Mary Magdalene, or at least they claim to know her. Common unsubstantiated knowledge is that before she became a follower of Christ, she was a prostitute, a claim that has no basis Biblically or historically.

Sure, she was a sinner - Jesus drove seven demons out of her - the seven deadly sins - and she is commonly thought by people to be the lady whom Jesus saves from getting stoned for adultery. However, none of this has ever been proved, simply just allegations that came from early Western Christianity which has unfortunately stuck with her.

Today, she is known well as a Saint for sinners - people such as myself who struggle with sin. I sin quite often, in thought and deed, but each time I do, I don't rush to confession, get absolved of my sins, then just go on out doing it again. I have a sincere hate for doing such things and try my best to amend my ways.

So during mass yesterday, I listened intently, praying throughout the whole mass, and I was just filled with this awesome feeling of guilt. I was drawn to the middle stain-glass-window behind the altar which pictures Jesus on the cross, and my eyes welled up with tears a few times. I simply felt to bad for the things I have done, particularly the things I have done since re-discovering God!

I only have one regret for the day though, and that is that I didn't take full advantage of it. After the Thursday Mass, the Monsignor sets up the Monstrance for Adoration, with Benediction followed at mid-day. Yesterday, however, after setting up for Adoration, he was in the confessional to hear confessions - for as long as it would take. I really should have gone, but didn't. If I had known he would have been hearing confessions, perhaps I would have made an inventory of things to talk about. I'm not very good at just recalling certain things from the top of my head, when I try I generally walk out thinking "Damn! I forgot this this and that, all of which are the ones I really wanted to talk about!!!"

Give it time though and I will.

In other news, last night I was surfing the internet for Saint medals - there are two particular ones I want but have never found them here in Albury at Vertias Central (our local Catholic store) or over in Wodonga at the Sacred Heart Church piety store. Even trips to Melbourne and Sydney I haven't found them! They aren't the massive Saint's, the likes of St. Michael or St. Francis.

The two I am chasing is St. Maximillian Kolbe, the Saint of Auschwitz, and St. Stanislaus Kotska, the Polish Jesuit boy Saint. St. Maximillian I am seeking as he is patron of drug-addicts, and St. Stanislaus because he is my patron Saint, the one whom I studied and whose name I took on after Confirmation, fifteen-years ago. St. Stanislaus is also patron of broken-bones, which I found to be extremely interesting nearly five-years ago after the traumatic car-accident I was involved in... that however is another story, one which I don't believe I have shared on my blog before!

So last night, I stumbled on an online store with BOTH medals of these two Saints! The first St. Stanislaus I found was the Bishop Stanislaus, also Polish, but a different being to St. Stanislaus Kostka, but the second one I found on another page clearly shows it is St. Stanislaus Kostka - an image of Stanislaus kneeling and receiving Holy Eucharist from an angel. I am happy I have found them, now I just need to wait until I get paid to order them. I will probably look for other things in the shop too, given it is USA based... would make more sense to buy a few things at once than just two medals totally one-dollar!