The “Genius of Woman”
22 September 2017
Today’s Gospel is quite strange and short!
We read that Jesus went about the business of proclaiming the Good News. We also hear about the women who supported him; Mary Magdelene, Joanna, Susanna and others.
I love the fact that the writer of Luke’s Gospel takes the time to tell us about the women who accompanied Jesus; I also love the fact that this very short reading is considered important enough by the Church to be one of the readings of the mass by itself.
It is important to me to know that women were part of Jesus’s support network as He went about the task of bringing the Kingdom of God to the world. The “genius of woman” was present in his daily journey, from beginning to end. I imagine his respect and tenderness for Mary, Joanna and Susanna, and the generosity with which they responded to his invitation to be his disciples. I imagine myself among them!
This reading also makes me think of the goodness that we find in the Church. Jesus called together a motley group of people to accompany him; the Church today is still made up of many different people with different perspectives, who nevertheless walk the journey together. In the task of bringing Christ to the world, we need each other! It can be difficult to be open to those who have different ideas and opinions than us but nevertheless we are brothers and sisters, and we are called to walk together.
Let us continue on our journey, trusting in the grace of God to help us to love one another.