WHAT EVER HAPPENED

TO SUSANNA?

The title of my homily for this 24^th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “What Ever Happened to Susanna?”

Her name appears only once in the New Testament – in Luke 8:3.  She’s here in this  short episode we heard for today’s gospel.

Joanna and Mary of Magdala – two of the three women – who were with Susanna  mentioned by name in today’s gospel – will show up again in Luke 24: 10 – but instead of Susanna – Mary the mother is named as a trio.

What ever happened to Susanna? 

There is that other Susanna in the  thirteenth chapter Book of Daniel. She’s mentioned by name 10 times.

 That Susanna might be simply a figment in the imagination of the teller of that Susanna story – but it’s a significant story.  Yet this Susanna seems real.  That’s the beauty of the gospels when we find details like the names of 3 women who travelled with Jesus.  It adds “and many others” but names are not given for them.

To me it’s like  the saying in John 6:10, “There was much grass in the place”. That seems to tell me – this happened in a specific place – and someone remembered specifically there was a  lot of grass there.

Here’s a side story – to make a point.  Mark Dorley’s father came up to me in Lima, Ohio, in December of 1999 with a question. “I heard you’re going to Israel in January. Do me a favor. Look for grass when you’re there.” He mentioned his reason for his question.  “Every time I see Israel on television – like on the evening news – it looks like the place is all dust and all desert. I wonder: Where are all these green pastures I hear about?”

That was his question.

Well, we landed in Tel Aviv and drove that evening to Tiberias where John 6:10 takes place – where there is much grass. Sure enough I saw plenty of grass up there in northern Israel – especially near the Lake.

Based on that way of thinking,  I accept that there was this woman named Susanna – who lucked out to travel with Jesus – and then get her name mentioned for posterity – in just one verse in scripture. It’s like that one verse in John: “There was much grass in that place.”

And Sister Gerri will tell us to follow her – take her into our imagination – even if  she doesn’t get into a boat with Jesus.

John Shea – a good scripture story teller – and writers like him – can take that one sentence and paint for us what it would be like to be Susanna and what it would be like to travel with Jesus. I’m sure some writers  would say this caused critics to say Jesus was breaking the traditions – traveling and working with women.

“Typical Jesus.”

“And what’s worse Jesus is also traveling with that Mary, called Magdalene, who had seven demons.”

And scripture scholars will point out that Luke likes to mention names early on who will appear later on – like Joanna and Mary Magdalen – here in today’s gospel and again in Luke 24 – at the time of the Resurrection. 

Scripture scholars – as I read last night reading up for this homily – say things like this: “Characteristically, where Luke mentions a male figure or group, he often links it with a corresponding female figure or group – for example Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna, in chapter 4 the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syria, in chapter 7 the centurion and the widow of Nain, an in chapter 15 the shepherd and the woman with the coins. The group of women who followed Jesus are given special prominence in Luke by introducing them at this point and alluding to their role when they are introduced again in Luke 23:49 and 23:35 [cf. Luke 24:10; Acts 1:14; 13:31).

Good. Interesting stuff.  But what ever happened to Susanna?

 I guess the answer is very simple: that’s life. Men and women working together. And in the meanwhile different people drop out of the picture. – and disappear out of our life after just one meeting.

 Well, there’s always the resurrection as we hear in today’s first reading. Amen.