Feast of Mary Magdalen: Some woman trying REALLY hard to look like a lesbian tried to throw me out of a perpetual Adoration chapel while I’m on pilgrimage. Nice try, satan. I prayed all 15 Mysteries.

I just had one of the most Grace-filled Rosaries I’ve had in several years. I’m on pilgrimage, and I stopped into a perpetual Adoration Chapel in a town I periodically visit to pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

I’m dressed typically for me- a dress that’s considered formal-wear today, hat, although I didn’t have my gloves on. I’ve been slack on the gloves. It’s been REALLY hot.

I walk in, double genuflect before Our Eucharistic Lord exposed in the monstrance, and kneel in the front pew on the far right. I take out my Rosary and get started, and this… female, let’s call her “Terry”, comes up and tells me to take off my hat. Now, understand, Terry has a $6 crew cut and is wearing a wife-beater and sweat shorts. I say at a whisper, “Absolutely not. Women must cover their heads before the Blessed Sacrament, always.” Terry says, “No, take off your hat.”

At this point, I “got loud” in the sense that I spoke aloud in normal voice, not whispering, which is very intense before Our Lord in the Monstrance. I repeated, “NO. I will NOT take off my hat because I am a WOMAN, and women cover their heads before the Blessed Sacrament, ALWAYS.”

At which point Terry ran off into the nave of the church. Because, as I’ve said for nearly 15 years now, if you just step to these people with confidence and authority, they’ll turn tail 99 times out of 100. Terry messed with the wrong behatted Catholic spinster.

So, I obviously prayed all 15 Mysteries of the Rosary there. And it was one of the most consoling, open, mentally free and Grace-filled Rosaries I’ve prayed in quite a while. I asked St. Mary Magdalen to pray with me on her feast day today, and every Mystery seemed to have a deep and informative meaning and intention to me today. And yes, of course I prayed for Terry, especially at the 4th Joyful Mystery – love of the Law and Holy Obedience, and the 5th Joyful Mystery- Joy at Finding Jesus. I hope she finds Him, and in finding Him finds her own dignity as a woman and as a Catholic.

And I prayed for all of you, obviously, as I always do.

St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us.

Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, have mercy on us. Everyone.

This is Gibson’s Raising of the Crucified Christ scene. His depiction of The Magdalen pulling her veil over her head at the end of this clip is… sublime.