Midwives ‘stand with’ women who are with child. Midwives guide women in bringing beautiful new life to birth. Humanity does not always give witness to the lifegiving spirituality of women, nor to the birthing guidance of midwives. If it did, we would not be grieving Ahmaud Arbery. We would not be imprisoning Travis McMichael. Travis McMichael was not nurtured in the lifegiving spirituality of women, nor the birthing guidance of midwives. He was instead taught to mimic the deadly religion of Militarism and the killing instruction of his police sergeant father, Gregory. Gregory McMichael is a War Lord. War Lords stand against life and are an impediment to guidance. They block, divert, and/or dissuade their sons from being lifegiving, from being guides. Gregory could have been Joseph. He could have been a man willing to learn from a woman. He could have been a man who nurtured his son in the power of life, the energy of healing. How do we help men be like Joseph, to be witnesses to life, to be guiding midwives? We help men ‘stand with’ their women and not abuse them. We help men ‘stand with’ their children and not abandon them. We help men ‘stand with’ their suffering female clients and not misdiagnose them. We help men ‘stand with’ their pregnant patients and not control them through pills and caesarians and abortions. We help men ‘stand with’ their communities and not threaten them with poverty and crime and rape and guns. We help men ‘stand with.’ We help men be midwives, to help bring beautiful new life to birth. To guide their friends and brothers and sons to the life growing inside of them; to the life growing outside of them and around them. What has become of the pastoral guidance passed from father to son? It is possible for us to realize again the skill of sons nurturing and caring for emerging life. Let us ‘stand with’ men who ‘stand with’ their sons.
Prayer: Joseph, help us nurture our young boys as midwives to life.
Question: What can I do to help men nurture life?
December 05, 2021 Gospel Luke 3:1-6 Second Sunday of Advent