Women in the Bible and the Lectionary by Ruth Fox, OSB
"At the conclusion of a four-hour presentation I recently gave on
"Women of the Bible," one of the participants exclaimed, "I never
knew Jesus had women disciples!" She was puzzled as to why she had
never heard this before, since she had been a devout, church-going
Catholic for all her 35 years. She heard the Sunday scripture
readings and listened to homilies week after week, yet her
admission confirmed once again that the revisions of the lectionary
mandated by the Second Vatican Council suffer a serious flaw.
The revision of the lectionary was mandated by the Constitution on
the Sacred Liturgy: "The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up
more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful
at the table of God's word" (#51). In 1969, the Sacred Congregation
for Divine Worship promulgated a new order of readings for use at
Mass. From this directive, the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops in the United States authorized the publication of a new
lectionary for use in our churches effective Palm Sunday,
1970.
Thus many more books and passages of the Bible were made available
to Catholics through the scripture readings at Sunday and daily
Mass. Homilies based on the readings were to illustrate the
relevance of these passages to the daily Christian life, and for
more than 25 years, pastors, liturgists and Catholics in the pews
have been rejoicing at this increased exposure to the word of God.
The widely-held assumption has been that the lectionary faithfully
presents the essence of the Bible, with the omission of only a few
troubling or gory passages.
This satisfying assumption has recently been controverted by
shocking evidence to the contrary. A careful analysis of the
lectionary reveals that a disproportionate number of passages about
the women of the Bible have been omitted. Women's books, women's
experiences and women's accomplishments have been largely
overlooked in the assigned scripture readings that are being
proclaimed in our churches on Sundays and weekdays. In this article
I will point out some of the significant biblical passages about
women that are omitted altogether, are relegated to weekdays, where
only a small number of churchgoers will hear them, or are
designated as optional. I hope to illustrate how some of the
lectionary's readings are used to reinforce what some believe to be
the weaknesses or proper roles of women. Then I will make a cursory
review of the imbalance of the saints recognized in the lectionary.
Finally, I will offer some suggestions for liturgists and presiders
to rectify the deficiencies.
First Testament Women
A survey of the lectionary reveals that the account of the two
brave midwives, Shiphrah and Puah of the Book of Exodus, is omitted
entirely from the lectionary. The weekday reading of Exodus 1:8-22
(lectionary #389, Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time,
Year I) skips from verse 14 to verse 22, thus excising the story of
these valiant women who put their own lives at risk by defying the
pharaoh's law of death in order to uphold God's law of life.
Deborah, named a prophet and judge of Israel and recognized as a
mother of Israel, also is passed over in the lectionary. As prophet
and judge, Deborah advised her people, planned a military strategy
against the Canaanites, appointed a general and then led the
victorious battle. Deborah's song of victory in Judges 5:1-31 is
considered to be one of the most ancient extant compositions of the
Bible, but it is not used in the lectionary. Although Gideon,
Jotham, and Jephthah from the Book of Judges find their way into
the weekday lectionary, Deborah is left standing outside the
gate.
The Book of Ruth gains only two weekday readings (#423, Friday of
the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, and #424, Saturday of
the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year I). The first is the
famous "Wherever you go" passage that shows her devotion to her
mother-in-law, and the second is the passage that exalts her
bearing of a son for her husband Boaz.
Huldah the prophet, who made history in 2 Kings 22, is excised from
weekday reading #373 (Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary
Time, Year II). This woman, a seventh century BCE contemporary of
Jeremiah and one of the few women or men literally labelled a
prophet, was consulted by King Josiah, the reformer. When an old
scroll (now thought to probably have been the original form of
Deuteronomy) was found in the temple by the priest, Hilkiah, the
king ordered, "Go, consult the LORD for me, for the people, for all
Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found...."
(2 Kings 22:13) The royal delegation took the scroll not to
Jeremiah but to Huldah, who verified the authenticity of the scroll
and, as a prophet, spoke God's warnings to the king.The verses
referring to Huldah (verses 15-19) are neatly sliced out of the
middle of the lectionary passage (2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3) .
Esther, a great heroine in a time of oppression, is proclaimed only
in a Lenten weekday reading (#228) that records her prayer
appealing to God for strength. No account of the bravery with which
she saved her people from annihilation is given anywhere in the
lectionary. Three other passages from the Book of Esther are found
in the lectionary (in the Common of Saints, #737; and in Masses for
Various Occasions, #821, #876), but not only might these passages
never be used in the parish, all three are accounts of the prayer
of Esther's uncle, Mordecai.
Judith, another heroine who jeopardizes her life for her people, is
recalled in just two passages: Judith 13:18, 19, 20 (lectionary
#709) is an optional responsorial psalm for the Common of the
Blessed Virgin ("You are the highest honor of our race"), and
lectionary #737, in the Common of Saints (Judith 8:2- 8), praises
the recluse Judith's asceticism and physical beauty; it is
recommended for proclamation on the memorials of saints who were
widows. Judith's initiative, determination and great courage in
saving her nation are nowhere presented in the lectionary.
The heroism of the Maccabee brothers is recounted on the
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (#157), but the passage stops
short of the tribute paid to their mother, who encouraged their
bravery. Although the mother's valor is recognized in the Bible as
"most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance" (2 Maccabees
7:20), she is actually remembered by the church only on Wednesday
of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time (#499) and only in Year
I! The sons and their brave mother are again separated in the
Common of Martyrs (lectionary #713.2 and #713.3 deal with the sons,
while #713.4 deals with the mother).
Second Testament Women
Two of the most obvious exclusions of women from Second Testament
scriptures are found in different readings from the daily
lectionary. In the continuous reading from Romans, verses one and
two of chapter 16 are omitted from lectionary #490 (Saturday of the
Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time, Year I): "I commend to you our
sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess [the Greek word is "deacon;" the
revised NAB uses "minister"] of the church of Cenchrae. Please
welcome her in the Lord, as saints should. If she needs help in
anything, give it to her, for she herself has been of help to many,
including myself." Thus churchgoers will never hear in our liturgy
of Phoebe, a woman who was a deacon. Another overt omission of a
verse about women's spiritual influence is made in 2 Timothy
1:1-12, which is assigned to Wednesday of the 9th Week in Ordinary
Time, Year II. Lectionary #355 neatly excises verses 4 and 5,
including: "I find myself thinking of your sincere faith--faith
which first belonged to your grandmother Lois and to your mother
Eunice."
There are also noteworthy omissions of women from the assigned
gospel passages. It seems incredible that the Magnificat, the
beautiful and revolutionary song of Mary in Luke 1:46 - 56, is
never proclaimed on a Sunday; it is found on a weekday before
Christmas (#199) and on two feast days of Mary, the Visitation
(#572) and the Assumption (#622). But by not assigning it to a
Sunday, the lectionary seems willing to risk that not many
Catholics will hear this marvelous song of praise attributed to
Mary.
The Gospel of Luke is the only one that narrates Jesus' healing of
a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years (Luke 13:10-17);
yet this pericope is assigned to Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week
in Ordinary Time (#479). Although Jesus recognizes her with the
unusual status of "daughter of Abraham," this touching story of her
faith and Jesus' breaking of the Sabbath law in the synagogue to
heal a woman is not proclaimed on any Sunday.
It is well known that Jesus' women disciples, led by Mary
Magdalene, according to all the gospels were the first witnesses to
the resurrection. Easter Sunday's gospel in the U.S. lectionary
(#43), however, stops just at the point of the beautiful story of
Jesus' appearance to Mary Magdalene in the garden and his important
commission to her: "Go to my brothers and tell them..." (John
20:17; the newer Canadian lectionary rectifies this problem by
adding verses 10--18.) In fact, this appearance of Jesus to Mary
Magdalene does not rate any Sunday of the Easter season but is
assigned to Easter Tuesday (#262) and is used again on the saint's
memorial (always a weekday, never a Sunday) in July (#603). Peter
and John's race to the tomb in John 20:1 -9 (#43), though, is
retold every Easter Sunday, and Jesus' appearance to Thomas in John
20:19-31 (#44) is read on the Second Sunday of Easter every
year.
While it is only natural that the gospels for the Sundays of Easter
should proclaim the appearances of the risen Lord, the gospels
assigned to the fourth through the seventh Sundays of Easter use
excerpts from the prayer of Christ at the Last Supper, ignoring
Christ's appearance to and dialogue with Mary Magdalene in John
20:11-18 for Sunday proclamation. Similarly, the gospel for Easter
Monday (#261) gives Matthew's account of the women finding Christ
risen (Matthew 28:8-15). Whereas Matthew 28:1-10 is read at the
Easter Vigil in Year A, Matthew 28:8-15 would make an excellent
follow-up Sunday gospel--but is relegated to Monday. The first
reading for each of the Sundays of Easter is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles. The selections focus on the sermons and activities of
Peter, Paul, Barnabas and Stephen. The women leaders found in the
Acts of the Apostles--Tabitha, Lydia and Priscilla--are given
second place in the weekday readings of the Easter Season.
Making Women Optional
Throughout the lectionary, some of the assigned gospel passages
that are quite lengthy have optional cutoff points to make the
readings shorter and supposedly more acceptable to the Sunday
assembly. The presider is authorized to read the whole passage or
to cut it short. Several of these passages set aside by parentheses
as optional and expendable relate the experiences of women.
February 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the
Temple, is assigned the passage from Luke 2:22-40. When Mary and
Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, they were met by Simeon and
the prophet Anna, both of whom recognized the infant as the Savior.
In the lectionary (#524), the verses about the prophet Anna may be
omitted. This same gospel is read on the Sunday after Christmas in
Year B (#17), but both Simeon and Anna are considered optional
here. The prophet Anna might never appear to witness to Jesus in
our churches.
Jesus' healing of a woman with a hemorrhage is significant for
Jesus' disregard for the taboos against women (speaking to a woman
in public, being touched by a woman or being made unclean by the
touch of a bleeding woman). Yet this miracle with all its
implications can be sliced out of the gospel (Mark 5:21-43) in the
optional short reading for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
in Year B (#99). If the presider decides not to read it in Year B,
it is never heard by the Sunday assembly. Matthew's and Mark's
complete versions of this story may be heard on a weekday (Tuesday
of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, every year, #324; and Monday
of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time, every year, #383), but Luke's
version is omitted altogether in Year C.
The Gospel of Matthew is used for the passion reading on Palm
Sunday, Year A (#38). Although this passion account begins with the
anointing of Jesus on the head by a woman, the lectionary omits
these verses (26:6-13). The optional short version of this reading
also concludes just before the mention of the faithful women who
had followed Jesus to Jerusalem from Galilee. The gospel reading
for Wednesday of Holy Week (#260) begins again with Matthew 26:14,
repeating the story from Sunday of the betrayalby Judas and
excluding again the anointing by a woman.
For Year B. the Palm Sunday passion reading is from Mark (#38).
Only the optional long version includes the anointing of Jesus on
the head by a woman and the witness of the women at the cross. Thus
the role of Jesus' women disciples is again excluded for those who
might hear only the short version.
In the Gospel of John, the anointing of Jesus is performed by Mary
of Bethany at a banquet served by her sister Martha. This version
of the anointing story (John 12: l-8) is read only on a weekday, on
Monday of Holy Week (#258). It is not included in the reading of
the passion on Good Friday, which is taken from the Gospel of
John.
One might ask: Is any account of the anointing of Jesus by a woman
familiar to Catholics? Of course, the sinful and penitent woman of
Luke 7:36 - 50, who washes Jesus' feet with her tears, is presented
on the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time in Year C (#94) and every
year on Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time (#446);
but the lectionary does not give us the same familiarity with
Mark's and Matthew's versions, in which a woman--not identified as
a sinner--assumes the role of a prophet in anointing Jesus on the
head. It is to this woman that Jesus promised (in vain?),"I assure
you, wherever the good news is proclaimed throughout the world,
what she did will be spoken of as her memorial." (Matthew
26:13).
Luke's gospel also includes a passage (8:1-3) that notes some of
Jesus' women disciples: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and others
who go unnamed. These three short verses are attached to Luke
7:36-50 when it is read on the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time in
Year C (#94). But why? By association with the woman in Luke 7:37,
are the women named in Luke 8:2-4 also assumed to be sinful? These
verses are marked as optional, but if they are omitted, Joanna and
Susanna may go unknown except for a weekday mention (Friday of the
Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time, every year, #447).
One of the few feminine images of God in the gospels, "the reign of
God is like yeast which a woman took...,"(Matthew 13:33) is
optional on the only Sunday it appears (the Sixteenth Sunday in
Ordinary Time, Year A, #107). Matthew's and Luke's parables with
this image plus the parable of the mustard seed are found on
weekdays (Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time,
lectionary #401, and Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary
Time, lectionary #480). Probably only few Sunday homilies present
the image of a bakerwoman God to balance the image of the farmer
God.
When women are not overlooked or rendered optional in the
lectionary, sometimes passages containing positive references to
them are left out while those containing negative references are
retained. Take, for example, Exodus 15:20-21, in which Miriam
(sister of Moses and Aaron) is identified as a prophet and leads a
liturgy of thanksgiving after the crossing of the sea; this passage
is omitted from the lectionary. These verses could easily have been
attached to the Easter Vigil reading (#42) that exalts the role of
Moses, particularly in light of modern scholarship that has pretty
much proven that the older scriptural tradition is that of Miriam
leading the liturgy of thanksgiving. The account of Moses leading
the song of victory was added later, borrowing from the Miriam
story. Miriam's weaker side, however, is revealed later, in the
story of her envy and punishment with leprosy (Numbers 12:1-13) in
a weekday reading (Tuesday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time, Year
I, #408).
Another disturbing tendency is the editing of texts according to
gender stereotypes. One of the most convincing examples of this is
the editing of Proverbs 31 for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary
Time, Year A (#158). The lectionary omits verses 14-18 and 21-29,
which praise the woman's initiative, business acumen, dignity and
wisdom: "Like merchant ships she secures her provisions from
afar....She picks out a field to purchase; out of her earnings she
plants a vineyard. She is girt about with strength....She makes
garments and sells them....She is clothed with strength and
dignity." The lectionary does, however, include the passages that
praise the woman for serving her husband and being his "unfailing
prize." The gospel for this same day is Matthew 25:14-30, which is
about the three servants who are given silver pieces. Only with the
reading of the complete passage of the industrious woman will
listeners be able to find a connection to the industrious male
servant of the gospel.
The tragedy of the sacrifice of the daughter of Jephthah is read on
Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year I (#422). Her
father, having made a rash vow to sacrifice "whoever comes out of
the doors of my house to me when I return in triumph" (Judges
11:31), felt obligated to fulfill his brazen promise. The
lectionary augments the tragedy by succeeding this reading with the
response "Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will" and Psalm 40.
Does this imply that God approved of Jephthah's impulsive vow or
that parents have unlimited, life-threatening authority over their
children? Victims of violence should surely never be expected to
sing "Here am I, Lord" on the table of sacrifice. Those who sing
this song may well ask, Where is the God who rescued the son Isaac
from his father but did not rescue the daughter from her
father?
On Holy Family Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas, one would hope
to find readings portraying the family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus as
a model for contemporary families. The first reading from Sirach
does refer to respect for mothers as well as fathers (Sirach 3:4,
see lectionary #17), but the responsorial psalm that follows, Psalm
128, is addressed to men and reflects the psalmist's view of the
ideal role of women: "Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in
the recesses of your home." The second reading clearly puts the
family relationships in similar perspective: "You who are wives, be
submissive to your husbands" (Colossians 3:18). Credit must be
given to the U.S. bishops, who requested and received permission
from the Vatican in June,1992, to omit that verse and the following
three verses from public reading. A similar permission was
requested and received to shorten Ephesians 5:21 -32 to omit "Wives
should be submissive to their husbands..." on the Twenty-first
Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (lectionary #123), on Tuesday of
the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II (lectionary #480), and
at weddings (lectionary #775). One wonders if liturgists and
pastors are aware of these permissions: See the Newsletter of the
Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy, June, 1992.
The first reading on Pentecost Sunday (#64) is Acts 2:1-11. The
opening verse as given in the Bible (NAB) reads: "When the day of
pentecost came, it found them gathered in one place" (emphasis
added). Those who were gathered are named in Acts 1 as the eleven
and "some women in their company, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and
his brothers." In the lectionary, the opening sentence is
interpreted and modified to read "When the day of Pentecost came it
found the brethren gathered in one place" (emphasis added).
Although "brethren" theoretically may be an inclusive noun, it is
not heard as such in this selection. Have homilists revealed that
Mary and other women received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost along
with the men?
The Calendar of Saints
An important part of our Catholic liturgical experience is the
remembrance and celebration of the holy men and women who have been
faithful to Christ unto death. From the time of the early martyrs,
liturgical tradition has brought the saints to our attention for
veneration, inspiration and encouragement. The 1970 lectionary, of
course, follows the revised calendar. But the revised sanctoral
cycle has an unbalanced ratio of 144 male saints to 28 female
saints. (The U.S. bishops have since added 10 men and 7 women to
the roster.) The month of June alone brings 19 men before the
church for veneration, and no women! Days in the sanctoral cycle
are ranked in the descending order of solemnity, feast, memorial
and optional memorial. Celebrations in honor of Mary, Joseph, John
the Baptist, Peter and Paul are given the status of solemnities.
Feasts also are assigned to these five again, as well as to 14 more
men. The highest rank in the calendar that any woman besides Mary
has achieved is that of memorial. Even though Mary Magdalene has
been recognized through the centuries as "apostle to the apostles"
(see John Paul II, "On The Dignity and Vocation of Women," # 16),
she ranks below the Twelve in the liturgy.
Further study of the lectionary reveals that 42 male saints have at
least one proper reading assigned for their day, while only 8
female saints (not counting Mary) have a special reading. Of these,
only Mary Magdalene, Theresa of the Child Jesus and Anne (who
shares a memorial with Joachim) are assigned a proper first reading
and gospel. Memorials without proper readings may use readings from
the appropriate set of "common" readings (Common of Martyrs, Common
of Saints and so on). However, for days ranked below feasts--which
include all the memorials of women--liturgical guidelines recommend
the use of the daily continuous readings from the lectionary.
Memorials of both men and women saints use both the Common of
Martyrs and the Common of Saints. But only memorials of men use the
Common of Pastors and the Common of Doctors. Furthermore, only
memorials of women are assigned to the Common of Virgins, even
though many of the male saints are in fact virgins, too (i.e.
celibate or vowed religious).
The memorials of the only two women ever named "doctors" of the
church--Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila--each do have proper
first readings, but the gospel is chosen not from the Common of
Doctors but from the Common of Virgins (for both Catherine and
Teresa) or the Common of Saints/ Religious (for Teresa)!
Women and men who are looking for spiritual nourishment from the
stories of our ancestors, both male and female, are finding that
the diet is very meager at the table of the liturgy. Invaluable
Manifestations
The rationale used for choosing the scripture texts for the
lectionary is found in the introduction to the lectionary,
especially in #7 and #8. Omitted passages are those of lesser
importance; they contain serious literary, critical or exegetical
problems; they will not be understood by the faithful; they are not
essential to the meaning of the text; they have lesser spiritual
value; they have little pastoral worth; and they contain truly
difficult questions. Certainly all of us would agree that not all
passages of the Bible are suitable for public reading in the
liturgy; and an analysis of the lectionary similar to mine would
reveal than many stories of men also are omitted. But given the
already limited focus on women in the Bible, it would seem that
lectionary editors would begin to choose to be more inclusive of
women - if they wished the liturgy to speak to women. But it is not
just a matter of speaking to women. Just as men are held up as
spiritual models for women (how many sermons have we heard on the
faith of Peter?), so, too, men's spirituality is enriched and aided
with feminine patterns of holiness.
Since Vatican II we have been reminded again and again that "the
liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is
directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her
power flows" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, # 10). The
liturgy is meant to be a source of holiness and a celebration of
union with God for all God's people. If liturgy is to be authentic,
then, it must speak to the experience of women as well as men.
Because "sacred scripture is of paramount importance in the
celebration of the Liturgy" (CSL #24), the scripture readings
should represent the totality of salvation history and human
experience. Because the homily is to be drawn mainly from the
scripture readings, it follows that if the readings overlook women
or present negative stereotypes, homilies will also. The full
history of God's intervention in the lives of women and men needs
to be made known if the celebration of the liturgy is to "pertain
to the whole body of the church." (CSL #26).
Pope John Paul II has himself called for the recogtnition and
appreciation of the historical gifts of women: "The church asks at
the same time that these invaluable 'manifestations of the Spirit,'
which with great generosity are poured forth upon the 'daughters'
of the eternal Jerusalem, may be attentively recognized and
appreciated so that they may return for the common good of the
church and of humanity, especially in our times." (On the Dignity
and Vocation of Women #31)."