The Worthiness of Women in today's Scripture Readings

The Worthiness of “Woman”.

Today’s readings at Mass amazed me. Proverbs which contains so much Good Council for us from God given to us even thousands of years ago in a lasting message meant to speak to us with new meaning throughout the ages to keep it’s relevance, has it’s message still not recognized by so many. This is especially sad when you consider that the Hierarchy and Structure of the Church SHOULD be guiding us to recognize this message from God that is so sorely needed today. And still even with the new understanding of a woman’s worthiness staring us squire in the FACE. We refuse to accept God’s advice. I don’t know if today is the first time I understood it this way. But in dedicating myself to God at Mass and praying for understanding this is what I got.

First off notice this. The new American Bible 1970 St, Joseph’s edition I have lists the description as : ”The Ideal Wife” and this version of the new Standard American Bible off the Internet from 1995 more CORRECTLY titles the piece from Proverbs “Description of a Worthy Woman”.

This is a simple BUT very important distinction. It like the difference between a BIG “C” and a Little “c” when spelling catholic vs. Catholic.

Our Priest in His Homily, missed it today. Like so many of us do he fell back on the old meaning. He didn’t invest his talents wisely today to reap the potential healing and spiritually advancement of the potential yield doubling Spiritual Value of seeking “NEW” understanding of an OLD message of God as it applies to One of our most glaring deficiencies of 21 century. The lack of appreciation and understanding of the God Given Value of the Feminine expression of His Love epitomized for us on Earth in the Form of His Image called Woman. The womb, the keeper the wonder worker of Humankind.

He got stuck on the wife part and patronizing on women by acceptance and promulgation of the Male perspective which erroneously has under appreciated women for thousands and thousands of years.

Proverbs 31:10-30

Description of a Worthy Woman
10 An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

Notice there is about TWO verses here specking of a woman as a wife. And yet that is a man’s focus on what the worthiness of a woman is. What about the rest of her. What mothers, sisters, widows, single women, gay women, political women, working women, grandmothers, daughters and girls. Women are so much more than wives. And even more important what about their value as spiritual beings. Saving humanity from the masculine horrors of war death and destruction. Working with the poor healing the sick imparting God’s Values to all. Look at all these things God is showing us that a woman does:

12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax
And works with her hands in delight.
14 She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
15 She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hands grasp the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies belts to the tradesmen.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29 “Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.

And than God tells us PLAIN and SIMPLE she shall be praised.
31 Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.
What do we do. Say, “Oh what a good wife she is?”. That’s not the message! Let her works praise her at the gates. Here we are at the Church at the gates of the Kingdom of God that Christ told us is in our hearts, Are we praising Her for her works? Are we seeing Her (Woman) for what she really is? Are we recognizing her for her works? Not if that works have to do with the highest calling of God. We won’t recognize Her as a priest, Bishop, ArchBishop, Cardinal, Pope. We minimalize ALL She (woman) does. She’s a Good Wife!

What about the second reading? How’s that tied to the first? It took me years to see how the readings complimented each other. What does it tell us. What’s this parable presented to us by GOD through His Son Our Savior tell us? It tells us this: God gives of the gift of this life. He gives us the gift of Spirituality. WE are NOT here on earth to waste that gift. We ARE HERE to make it grow within us and others “as we pass by”. So when we REFUSE to accept God’s teaching to us about HOW WE SHOULD recognize the worth of women, What are we doing? We are burying HIS GIFT IN THE GROUND! When He comes to us and we go before HIM and He says

What are you going to say? What is the Pope going to say? What is the Male Hierarchy of the Church going to say?

Matthew 25:14-29

14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.