On Candlemas, truly I tell you, RuPaul will precede you into the Kingdom of Heaven

Reflections by Loris Cozzolino* Author of the Facebook pageEvery holy day

On February 2, the feast of the presentation of Jesus at the Temple is celebrated. The party is popularly called Candelora because the candles, symbol of the light of the world, are blessed during the liturgy.

An ancient sanctuary dedicated to Mary stands on an snowy peak of Irpinia; Mount known as Partenio or as Montevergine bears its vocation in its name.

We know that since ancient times this mountain was considered sacred and that it housed an ancient sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Cybele, the mother of the gods. Cybele was an ancient divinity, coming from Asia Minor where in his sanctuary he was venerated in the form of a black stone, probably a meteorite.

The myth says that the young attis loved by the goddess in a moment of madness caused by Zeus himself, he was evaded. The priests of the goddess, called Gauls or Coribanti, imitated the young God by carrying out a ritual evolution on themselves. From that moment on, they wore female clothes of yellow color, heavily made up, brought pendants and earrings and long hair collected in braids.

Transsexuality or intersexuality were very common in the priestly figures of ancient religions as their being double, sexually fluid made them more suitable to handle and communicate with the sacred.

Well after this historical note you are wondering what an ancient transsexual priestess with the candlestick and with Montevergine and its Marian sanctuary has to do with it.

In the Middle Ages on the remains of the temple of the mother of the gods this hermitage dedicated to the Mother of God was raised and shortly after the famous Tuscan school table depicting Mary on the throne with the child on the knees.

The Christianization of the ancient worship is clear and clear but here in Montevergine it has reached the extreme. On February 2, Jesus' mother is celebrated with a heartfelt and ancient pilgrimage known as "juta of the feminielli": The sound of Tammorra and chestnuts, on the notes of ancient songs, transsexuals, homosexuals and every person who does not identify himself in a heteronormal sexuality, pays homage to the Madonna.

The only case in the Catholic world in which a sanctuary and a religious feast have as protagonists and as officiaries, those human being that the catechism of the Church and most of his hierarchy still indicates as intrinsically wrong and in moral error (if everything is fine!) .

This singular tradition, as they said, has its roots in paganism as many of our rites and liturgies.

In reality, another tradition speaks of a couple of homosexual lovers who, discovered, were condemned to die of colds linked near the Montevergine sanctuary: Maria appeared to the two unfortunately unrelated to them and warmed them with a warm sun and these immediately, recognized The miracle ran at the foot of the Virgin icon to thank God's Mother for compassion and protection.

Complex history, complex situation that of Monte Virgine.

The most loys will talk about Paganism, the most rods will tell me that the catechism is clear and that the moral "disorder" of these people has already condemned them, the bigots will appear to me eternal flames, sodom and lightning and saette.

To Monte Virgine there is a great peace and a lot of emotion, Mary with her gaze that goes beyond time welcomes these daughters and these marginalized, ignored and often victims of physical and verbal violence.

The feminielli, the transsexuals and transsexuals between wonderful tricks, bright clothes, fabulous as they are, with their joys and pains are embraced by that mother who loves them all.

There is no contradiction, we must not make the mistake of Pietro who tergivers in front of the house of the pagan Cornelio to whom the spirit led him. Pietro follows his moral law and knows that sharing the roof with a pagan can infect it morally, Peter knows that God divides human beings between pure and impure, so the priests and the Torah taught him. Not even the years spent listening to Jesus and seeing his works have completely rescued the intrinsic idea that a God is law and judgment before being something else.

Jesus solves the doubt once and for all by resorting to a vision: he orders Pietro to eat all the impure animals for the Jews, Pietro refuses, Jesus carries out "Kill and eats!". Pietro eats. Pietro understands.

"what God has purified you never call him again impure".

* Loris Cozzolino, born in 1986, early Christian archaeologist, immoderate passion for hagiography, biblical exegesis and gender theology. Not resigned to an image of the legalistic and repaintant church, in marginality and in the "waste" sees the face of the Christ of God. His blog of hagiographies can be found at the link https://www.gionata.org/tag/ogni-anto-garno/