Where are the women? That
was the first thought I had as I read the lectionary passages this morning. The
passages include questions by Thomas and Philip (John 14: 1-14), teaching by Stephen
(Acts 7:1-60) and an admonition by Peter (1 Peter, 2:2-10). Stephen even began
his lengthy discourse with the words, “Brothers and fathers listen to me” (1).
Where are the women? Are they silenced? Are they invisible? Are they
irrelevant?
It seemed strange that on
the day the U.S.A. celebrates Mother’s Day that women are absent in all the readings.
I should note here that the U.K. celebrated Mother’s Day in March. In the U.K. it is always the fourth Sunday of
Lent. Briefly it dates from the sixteenth century when people returned to their
mother church and families got to be together. In the U.S. in 1914 President
Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as a
national holiday to honour mothers. Regardless of the origins of the two days they share the same emphases.
I want to consider
mothering. I have been reading a book by Sara Ruddick, Maternal Thinking: Toward a Politics of Peace (Beacon Press, 1995).
In the book there is an interesting linking of mothering with peace. This is not new. The
U.S. mother’s day initiative was started in 1905 by Anna Jarvis to honour her
mother who died that year. Anna continue her mother's work. Ann Reeves Jarvis was a peace
activist and as early as 1868 organized Mothers’ Working Clubs to gather
soldiers on both sides of the civil war to promote peace and reconciliation.
Ruddick does not see “mothering”
as exclusively female. Mothering is about caring, nurturing, fostering growth
and bringing about reconciliation. Society is at its best when these are
valued.
I want to return to the
story of Stephen. His story begins when a complaint was made about widows being
neglected in the daily distribution of food. The twelve male disciples called
the community together and said it was not right for them to neglect the word
of God to serve tables (6:2). It is a sad statement, I wonder if at this point
the male disciples missed the point of Jesus teaching which was about care,
often reflected in feeding people. Certainly, an example of male dominance in
the scriptures.
The solution was to select
seven men to attend to the task of waiting on tables. I read this and excitedly
think, “Great, they are disrupting the mould” (Or mold if US spelling is
preferred). Waiting on tables, as with other domestic tasks, have traditionally
been considered the work of women. Men are being selected to do it in this story of the early church. The
mould of women’s work is being broken. Mothering was a task for all.
Sadly, my excitement only
lasted a moment.
Mould disruption or male
dominance?
As I re-read the passage, I must
consider the latter as the more likely option. Although the seven men were
appointed to mothering, to feed people and to care for widows, there is no mention
of them fulfilling that task. Was it done? Or was it not significant enough to be
mentioned again? The women’s work is denigrated.
The passage continues
mentioning signs, wonders and enticing words spoken by Stephen. The importance of mothering
is ignored. A great opportunity was missed.
Ruddick says, “As men become
mothers and mothers invent public resistances to violence, mothering and peacemaking
become a single, womanly-manly work —a feminist, maternal politics of peace’
(244).
Happy mother's day to all.
(Photo: Our back garden, June 15, 2015)
