WHO INFLUENCED YOU?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 33 Wednesday in Ordinary Time is, “Three Women: Who Influenced You?”
If we stop to look at our lives, we notice a lot of people who have entered into our lives and some of those people have had an influence on us.
Who are they? Name names. Be specific. Then name what they did to influence us - impact us - change us - have given us an attitude - a way of seeing and doing things?
Oops. It can be negatives as well. Sorry to bring that up. My main stress would be on the positive. I just want to tag the negatives - and look at them another day and in another way.
TODAY’S FEAST DAY - PLUS ONE FROM TOMORROW
I got the title of my homily because today, November 16, we have the feast of two women - St. Margaret of Scotland and St Gertrude the Great. Tomorrow we have a third woman: St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
There they are: 3 women - who have had an impact on our Church - and our world.
TODAY’S READINGS
Today’s readings - the readings for this 33 Wednesday in Ordinary Time - are kind of heavy and cumbersome.
In my homily last Sunday on Matthew 25: 14-30 - “
You’ve Got Talent” - I mentioned Luke’s version of that same story. I said that scholars like Joachim Jeremias say Luke’s version is a botched version - of an earlier version - that we don’t have.
I’m glad I had done some research on this parable for last Sunday, because when I read today’s gospel - Luke 19: 11-28 - I saw why scholars had said what they said about Luke’s version. Some homework: read both versions and see if you have the same reaction I had.
Why was the third man in both Mathew and Luke’s version of the parable - scared of the owner - so scared he did nothing - with the money that was given to them - to invest? Why did the others do well and the third didn’t? Was it their personality or was it the personality of the rich man? In both versions of the parable, the rich man or the nobleman is described as hard - and tough. In both versions, the man who doesn’t produce, is described as timid and weak. How do we get to be the way we are? Is it nature or nurture? Which is more crucial: decisions or experiences? It is our history or is it mystery? Is it how we were brought up? Who has influenced us?
In today’s first reading from
Second Maccabees 7: 1, 20-31, a word that jumped off the page. Why didn’t I hear or notice this word for the past 20 times at least that I heard this reading? It’s read every other year. The mother of the seven brothers in the story is described as having a womanly heart but having “
manly” courage.
Here’s the text:
“Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with manly courage, she exhorted each of them in the language of their ancestors with these words:….”
50 years ago I didn’t notice sexist language or whatever you might want to call the language in this text. I don’t know what the Greek has - but I would hope the translator into English would at least hesitate when using that word “manly” with regards to this woman’s courage.
The text is all about her strength - a mother’s strength. Hearing that, I was influenced to begin wondering if women have more courage and strength than men. How do personalities grow and develop in the experience of a baby growing in one’s womb for 9 months - and then the experience of being the prime educator of her children - girls and boys - till the fathers take over years later for the boys? Which experience would have the greater growth potential?
I’m sure the answer can be answered with the mysterious, “It all depends.” Why not talk about this with each other. I would hope other translators would not use that phrase, “manly courage.”
What I’m reflecting on today is: Who influences us? What influences us? I’m mainly reflecting on female influences. Who gets us to use the language and terms we use?
BACK TO THE THREE WOMEN SAINTS
ST MARGARET OF SCOTLAND
St. Margaret of Scotland [c. 1045-1093] was the mother of eight - and queen - and was from Hungary. She’s the Patroness of Scotland and was known for all she did for the poor. How has she influenced the Church of Scotland down through the years? Is she the patron saint of all those we know by the name of “Margaret”?
ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT
St. Gertrude the Great [c. 1256-1302], a Benedictine nun in Thuringia - now Germany - had an influence through her writings on the call to Christians to have a personal relationship with Jesus. She would be part of the development for using the language “Sacred Heart” when talking about Jesus. Her words about suffering in one’s life - impacted how people who heard those messages dealt with sufferings.
ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY
St. Elizabeth of Hungary [c. 1207-1231] - tomorrow’s saint - was both wife, mother, and queen, like St. Margaret. Then she chose a life of poverty - while caring for the sick.
These are 3 women saints on our calendar. They have influenced many.
I’m asking in this homily: “Who influenced us?” - especially what women have influenced us - and how they influenced us specifically - starting with our mom?
CONCLUSION
Let me close by saying that it’s of interest to me how St. Elizabeth of Hungary had an influence on my life in a specific way. I never stopped to think about this till today. When I was in the seminary - both our minor and major seminary - some German Sisters - the Gray Nuns of St. Elizabeth - cooked for us and also served in our infirmary. Thinking about them today - I am grateful that I saw every day women who left their country - and families - and gave their lives for us - in a foreign country.
How much impact did that have on all of us Redemptorist priests in the Baltimore Province - most of whom till the 1980’s left the United States to go work and serve in foreign countries as well?
