“There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.” The mother of Jesus, Mary, is aware of a problem that will disrupt the peace of the first day of the couple’s new life together. She “said to Jesus, “They have no wine.”
Mary speaks up. She does so assertively in a fact-based manner about a problem that is a minor one. It is difficult for women to speak up, about any problem, minor or major. Women’s voice is itself still treated as a problem and we are admonished to be submissive. Improvements exist in listening to women speak up but problems persist. This is especially apparent in religious settings that repeat original cancel culture admonitions for submission derived from the Old Testament and one of its primary New Testament evangelizers, Paul, “women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.” (1 Cor 14:34). When males speak up their speech is respected as that of tradition, even of humanity. More so, their speech is respected as that of God. But their ‘God’ is a warrior God invented by men to mandate submission. Much of humanity still lives under that Old submission demanding deity. Men are thus ensured that positional authority gets to allow / cancel who shall speak up. When a woman, or any outsider, speaks up they are accused of speaking up against tradition, against humanity, against God. It is a set up. We are set up for submission, submission to the Old system, allowing its violence. We live in a cacophony of the Old already set up for us. The set up dissuades us from being like Mary – aware of ensuing problems and speaking up to avert them so we can enjoy a New life together. One who is like Mary in our time is Patricia Chappell SNDdeN. She is a leader in the Pax Christi Peace Movement. She is viewed as a problem for speaking up about violence and working to create a peaceful New life together. This is especially true in relation to the problem of white supremacist rulers and their violence. Being like Mary means we share our voice not as a ruler, nor as one submissive to their violence. Those who are submissive tend not to know they are submissive. They do not know they keep proving their submission every time they celebrate their devotion to a particular ruler and returning that ruler to positional control. They threaten violence to take their country back not knowing they are handing it over to that ruler and ruling class. It is therefore worrisome to read a recent University of Maryland survey. It reveals increasing numbers of people in the U.S. justify violence against their neighbor. We are being set up not to recognize violence as a problem and to avert it, but instead to favor violence and believe it is a solution to problems. We are being set up to practice violence, to be submissive to violence. How so unlike Mary we are. We are called to speak up assertively and factually about this problem of expected violence, to avert it, and to create a new peaceful life together.
“Come, look up with kindness yet,… In a new day’s lyric, In our hearts, we hear it: For auld lang syne, my dear… Be bold, sang Time this year… Come over, join this new day just begun.” (New Day’s Lyric – Amanda Gorman)
Prayer: Spirit, fill us with Mary’s courage to speak up.
Question: Who are those willing to speak for violence that I can ask to join us in our peaceful way?
January 16, 2022 Gospel John 2:1-11 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time