‘So if
anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself
for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in
the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’
Matthew
10:32 - 33
At times
our criminal law can be somewhat unforgiving. The rage of youth reappears on
your police check when you want to participate in a school excursion and are a
seeking Working with Vulnerable People Registration. It’s embarrassing, but it is forgivable and
should also be forgotten. We are much more than the sum of our juvenile acts.
Various members of my immediate and extended family have had to tackle the
justice system, and a number of friends and acquaintances have had to come to
grips with an ecclesiastical tribunal when seeking an annulment of their marriages,
let alone having already faced the Family Court.
There
are 613 laws in the First (or Old) Testament. There are 1752 separate canons
(or rules) in the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church (1983). Jesus’
proposed that there is but one great commandment: Hear O Israel! The Lord our
God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with al1 your heart, with
all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is
this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment
greater than these (Mark 12:28 – 34)." While this might be a summary of
the entire Law of Moses, you and I can both see just how difficult a law this
is to obey. And by ‘obey’ I mean hearing and responding in accordance with the
opportunity that arises. I would have to admit to daily failure, if not
multiple hourly failures if I were to interpret this commandment with absolute
strictness.
I have
had to ask myself time and again what really matters in my connectedness with
God and with others. What I come up with is two words: generosity and
graciousness. These two aspects of God’s being elevate the human person into
relationship with their creator through Jesus. As Paul writes to the Romans
(5:12 -15), ‘It is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one
man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift.’
This
generosity and grace are most evident in Matthew’s Gospel for this coming Sunday
(10:26 – 33). For here there is no list of rules, regulations or canons about
what must be done to be in our relationship to God. Matthew records, ‘So if
anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself
for him in the presence of my Father in heaven.’
In our
classrooms and offices, or wherever we work and minister we are invited and
challenged to declare ourselves for the Lord. And it isn't about the small
stuff. It isn't about our venial failures. It is about loving and being loved by a God so gracious, forgiving,
liberating and patient. And each of us is most worthy and deserving of that
love (vv. 29 - 31). Let those with whom we work see us uncovered and revealed
for who we truly are.
What
confidence this should inspire in each of us as we nurture our frail and
delicate faith. I must go so far, but I will be raised up to meet my God face
to face.
Peter Douglas
Heroic women in the Bible
by Neve Mahoney and Meaghan O'Connor
Hannah
(1 Samuel 1, 2:1-21)
Hannah, a young woman
married to Elkahah, was barren, which in her time brought great shame to her
and her family. She tried to convince her husband to leave her and take another
as a wife, and while he did take another wife, he still loved her and stayed with
her. His second wife, Peninnah, however, was jealous of the devotion their
husband had to Hannah, and was cruel to her. Rather than retaliating, Hannah
chose to be kind. She persisted in her prayers until she was blessed by the
priest, Eli, and finally had a son.
The story of Hannah not
only teaches the women of today to be persistent in their faith, but to take
the high road even when times are tough. She sets an example to all those women
who find themselves targets of other women. Fighting back with nasty words is
never the answer. Supporting other women, and standing up for those who can’t
do it alone puts us in a position to be a driving force for change. One recent
example of women standing up for women is the Women’s Marches across the globe
in January. It brought people together from all works of life to show that
together we can be a force for change, without violence.
By Meaghan O’Connor
Ruth
(The Book of Ruth)
Ruth was a Moabite
married into an Israelite family, and was the daughter-in-law to Naomi. When
Ruth’s, Naomi’s, and Orpah’s (Naomi’s other daughter-in-law) husbands died,
they were not only widowed, but without protectors. In that time, women relied
on the men of their families for safety, a house, and an income, and without
them they had nothing. Naomi decided to go back to her birth place, Bethlehem,
and tried to convince Orpah and Ruth to go back to their cultural home with the
Moabites. Orpah did, but Ruth refused to be persuaded. So Ruth and Naomi went
to Bethlehem, and through some good family connections and initiative, Ruth
started to work in the fields of a man named Boaz, who she would later form a
relationship with and marry.
Ruth’s story is one that
should inspire us to pick ourselves up after something goes wrong, be loyal and
trusting to those closest to us, and to choose our own paths. Like Ruth, we
can’t always control what happens to us, but we can control where we go from
that point. There are many women like Ruth, who have gone through a difficult
time in their lives, but have continued to work and persevere.
By Meaghan O’Connor
Esther
(The Book of Esther)
After using her wits to
become queen, Esther had to navigate a murder plot, court intrigue and
discrimination. When she heard that the King was planning to kill the Jewish
people, she decided to petition against it, even though speaking up and going
to see the King uninvited could have cost her life. Like most rebel heroines,
she had a great one liner in the face of overwhelming odds: ‘If I perish, I
perish.’ Though initially overcome with fear, Esther played to the King’s ego,
hosting two banquets for him and his advisor while ignoring the King’s offers
of half the kingdom. Esther then asked for and received clemency for her
people, while also bringing down the advisor who misled the King about the
‘dangers’ of Jewish people.
Esther is an example of a
woman who used the rules of engagement to her advantage, but who was also
willing to break them if necessary. She overcame her fear, putting her life and
privilege on the line to combat the xenophobia that threatened the lives of her
people. In a time where women were expected to be obedient, Esther became an
influential political player. In today’s world, we can honour the legacy of
Esther by standing up for what’s right and confronting racist attitudes when we
see them, even when it would be easier to stay silent.
By Neve Mahoney
Deborah
(Judges 4 and 5; Hebrews 11:32-34)
If you thought that Joan
of Arc was the only combat heroine in the church, think again. Deborah worked
two jobs – as prophetess and judge. In her era the judges were both social and
military leaders, and Deborah was the only female judge recorded in the Bible.
One day, when she was under the palm tree where she would deliver her
judgements, Deborah prophesied that Barak had to gather ten thousand men to
attack the King of Canaan. Barak wasn’t enthusiastic, and said to Deborah, ‘If
you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.’ Deborah
agreed and added to her prophecy that the victory of the day would belong to a
woman. On the battlefield, Barak faltered, but Deborah was there to act as a
war general and inspire Barak into action. The battle was won, but Deborah
herself didn’t take credit for the day. In fact, it was Jael, the wife of one
of the Israelite commanders who took out the title of MVP when she tricked the
Canaanite general Sisera and assassinated him.
Deborah is exceptional
among stories of women in the Bible as an example of a woman who took a
leadership role in war. Girls can take heart from Deborah’s story and challenge
gender roles in the workforce.
By Neve Mahoney
This article appeared first in the May 2017 edition of Australian Catholics.
No comments:
Post a Comment