FOUR WOMEN
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Four Women.”
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Agatha.
Ten years ago or so I read that the Church celebrates 4
great women in these 4 colder months: Cecilia [November], Lucy [December],
Agnes [January] and today Agatha [February].
Cecilia - is the patron saint
of music,
Lucy - is the patron saint of
eyes and light,
Agnes - is the patron saint of
gentleness
Agatha - is the patron saint of
breast cancer and earthquakes
They are all Italians - but way before Italy became
Italy.
·
Cecilia - Born Rome - dies in Sicily.
·
Lucy - From Syracuse - Southeast Corner of
Sicily
·
Agnes - From Rome -
·
Agatha - From Palermo - Sicily
THIS HOMILY
This homily I want to ask the question: “Who are your
favorite four women?”
Today’s gospel - Mark 6:14-29 - we have these women:
Herod’s daughter and Herodias, who is Herod’s second wife - who was his
brother’s Philip’s wife.
Intrigue and slippery sin and nasty manipulations and
lust run rampant in Herod’s history.
There is better history - closer to factual - about
Herod’s life - than there is about David’s life.
David benefitted from a lot of re-writes. I even heard a
Rabbi talk about David not necessarily being the one who killed a giant of a
man named Goliath. There is evidence in the scriptures about someone else being
the actual killer - but the story is transferred to David.
The Bible is loaded with stories about a lot of people.
So too Christianity.
So too our lives.
FOUR WOMEN
If you were asked to come up with your four favorite
women saints or holy people, who would you come up with?
Here’s a possible four: Mother Cabrini, Mother Teresa,
St. Theresa of Lisieux, Saint Teresa of Avila.
If you were asked to list four women who
did outstanding things for others, would anyone list these 4? Dorothy Day, Rosa
Parks, Barbara Jordan, and how about the British Nurse, Edith Cavell shot by
the Germans Oct. 12, 1915.
Wouldn’t it be something if Dorothy Day made it to
sainthood - for her tremendous work with the poor? I heard that when this said in the presence
of Cardinal Spellman, he said, “Over my dead body.”
I can’t but think about the impact her canonization would
have - her having had an abortion. Wouldn’t that give great hope to countless women
and men?
How about 4 women writers, or 4 women painters, or 4
women world leaders, etc. etc. etc.
How about 4 women in our own lives: our moms or grandmas
or neighbors or some parish woman. I would certainly add my sister Peggy, who
had a great life as an IHM Scranton Nun.
CONCLUSION
That’s your homework. Discuss all this with yourselves
and each other.
