Yes, yldstrk, Mary Magdalene was certainly an outstanding female disciple, more faithful than the vacillating Peter, more humble than the ambitious James and John, more believing than the doubting Thomas.
But she was not one of the Twelve: think of that.
And even moreso: neither was Mary the Mother of God an Apostle: Mary, who was (and doubtless is) the most perfect human creature who ever existed, whose dignity is beyond the Apostles, and one could argue, beyond the Angels and Archangels as well, since she honored by an Archangel with a title of matchless nobility, "Kecharitomene", and the anouncement that "the Lord is with you."
These things are unique, true singularities: no angel ever revealed to any other human being such an exalted name or title, and none came from heaven to announce to an earthly person that the Lord of Heaven was with her.
I was thinking about this as I was reading the first chapters of the Gospel of Luke, where it also tells that Mary was a contemplative (twice it says that she "meditated on these things in her heart) and a person who participated in the Passion via her profound empathy ("Your own soul a sword shall pierce.")
Mary is undoubtedly greater than the Archangel, and greater than any priest or pope. (Consider this: if Mary appeared to the pope, which of the two, do you think, would fall to their knees?)
To speak of a third Mary: Mary of Bethany, too, is described as a mystic, because she was the one who sat at Jesus' feet and received His teaching inwardly, while her sister Martha was busy with serving. Of course, Jesus loved them both dearly; while still declaring that Mary had "chosen the better part."
This all makes me think that, while serving in a hierarchical structure is a fittingly masculine (Petrine) vocation, the contemplative/mystical life is an especially feminine (Marian) vocation. And it is the better part.
I always tell my RCIA students that the really important and really interesting people in Catholicism are not the priests, nor the popes, but the saints.
Kudos, Mrs. Don-o! May the Mother of God intercede for rich blessings for you this day.
;-)
Every human being is greater than an any angel, archangels included. That was the whole point of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Some believe that the elevation of human nature over angels provoked Satan to rebel. The BVM was truly an instrument of salvation as the Mother of God; however, Mary was a sinner like all human beings. She plays a very small part in the Scriptures when compared with Jesus and the apostles. How many times is Mary even mentioned outside the gospels? The Marian Cult is based more upon superstition than reality.
I completely agree with you, however, the female ordination proponents consider 'women's work' to be a BAD thing, so they turn purple if your argument is even mentioned.
If you peel away the arguments for ordination from these women, you eventually get to what they REALLY want, and that's POWER. They want to change what the Church teaches, about abortion, homosexuality, and divorce, and they believe that the path to doing that would be priest, then Bishop, then Cardinal.