S1E9 - A summary of the Seven Steps of the House of New Bethany

Welcome! The House of New Bethany is a devotion to the sacred history of France grounded in the spirituality of St. Joan of Arc, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and the tradition of St. Mary Magdalene in France. If you are a free subscriber, consider an upgrade to support my work. Thank you for being here!

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S1E9

The Guide du Pèlerin, Sainte Marie-Madeleine et La Sainte-Baume (also found on Amazon) is a pilgrim’s guide I received from the Dominicans who oversee the Grotto of Mary Magdalene in southern France. After our recent visit to the Grotto in La Sainte-Baume and the tomb of St. Mary Magdalene in St. Maximin-La Sainte-Baume, I donated to their cause, and they sent me this beautiful booklet. It is written in French, and I am not aware of an English translation. Within its pages is a seven step “journey” with St. Mary Magdalene. In this episode, I introduce the steps and share my lifelong experience of living them with Mary Magdalene on my own spiritual pilgrimage from darkness into the light of Christ.

The seven steps are:

1. Discover our sinfulness.

2. Climb the stairway of mercy.

3. Become a witness to the resurrection of Jesus.

4. In silence, listen to the voice of God.

5. Venerate the relics of Mary Magdalene.

6. Recover the grace and beauty of femininity.

7. Live and proclaim mercy.

Future episodes will be devoted to exploring these steps!

Finally, here is a poem I wrote called, “The Second Wind.” I reference this transformation of my work in this episode.

A second wind caught me.
Effortlessly, I reached upward;
I was lifted higher, higher.
It was first wind; then the second.

Magdalene. The apostle appeared,
Mary Magdalene. She received me
at the first wind, and cast me
into the second, to heights unimagined.

As I rose, I was robed in splendor.
A crown, a scepter, a silent whisper,
“You are a King of France,
a royal son of New Bethany.”

The Lord’s friendship, God’s place of rest.
Mary’s fragrance, Magdalene’s home.
From New Bethany, my eyes spanned 
the world below the second wind.

~ Walter Emerson Adams

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I also co-host a podcast with Amy Chase on St. Joan of Arc and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.