How could I write a blog without giving mention to the momentous event many around the world witnessed — I speak of the inauguration of America’s new vice president.
The last blog I wrote was tinged with sadness and shock. The insurrection of the Capitol building was fresh in my mind. Amongst, other things I spoke of two underlying causes — white supremacy and patriarchy,
Today, I write tinged with joy. Those twin towers that have blighted American history are starting to crack. The new vice president is a woman, and not only that, one of African and Asian descent. Kamala Harris radiated joy and happiness — even behind a mask one could see she never stopped smiling. I’m sure she knew that she was causing a crack in the tower of patriarchy.
A year or so ago I wrote a blog which I entitled “Patriarchy is alive and well”. At least, that is what I thought. Then, I decided to check up on the actual date and realized I wrote it in April 2015. Nearly six years ago —has time really gone that fast? I still think patriarchy is alive and well — the last four years made that blatantly obvious as what must have been simmering under the surface was given voice. Yet, the outlook is not bleak. I am confident that one day patriarchy will tumble down. Sadly, probably not in my lifetime but I will see more and more cracks appearing. Last Wednesday was a big one!
Of course, Kamala Harris stands on the shoulders of many generations of women who have fought for equality and the right to be seen and heard. This Christmas one of the presents my son and daughter-in-law sent me was a jig saw. A circular jigsaw entitled “Votes for Women” and depicted about forty women who had been active in that struggle. To my shame, I confess some of the names were unfamiliar to me — happily the jigsaw came with an information leaflet giving their histories so I could learn.
My interpretation of the gospel reading today depicts one of the very first cracks in the tower of patriarchy. It is the story of a wedding (John 2: 1-11). I have blogged about this particular wedding before. I make no apologies for doing so again.
At the heart of the story is a woman who was seen and heard. Well, maybe I should amend that a little as in this story the mother of Jesus remains unnamed. Even today, this is a common experience for many women. They are designated only by their role in relationship to men rather than as a person with a name.
But back to the wedding . . . the story doesn’t reveal who the wedding was between. There is no way to know who was getting married, but the text hints that it was a close relative of Jesus — maybe it was a sister, brother or cousin. The wedding was clearly an affluent affair with wine flowing freely and servants and stewards attending the guests. The passage suggests that the mother of Jesus was the host. She was the person to whom the servants turned when there was a problem with the wine.
In short, the wine at the wedding ran out. The servants approached host, the mother of Jesus, who in turn appealed to Jesus. Water was converted into wine and the steward commented that the best wine was saved until the last.
As always when reading this text, what fascinates me is the conversation between Jesus and his mother. It is a significant part of the account and as such would seem to be important. When the wine ran out it was Jesus to whom his mother turned. She told him there was no wine. Jesus is recorded as saying it was no concern of his as “My hour has not yet come.”
It is a strange retort. Obviously, Jesus knew that his mother was expecting a miraculous intervention but seems reluctant to reveal who he was. It seems, Jesus would be happy to remain in anonymity.
Yet, it seems that his mother knew best! She knew it was time for the ministry to begin and her words and actions revealed it to Jesus. She did it quietly and calmly. She simply ignored his protestation that it was not his hour and told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
It is essential that the key role of Jesus’ mother is not under-estimated. I think it is important to note that this is one of the first cracks in the tower of patriarchy. This woman was given the task of knowing when it was time for Jesus to start his ministry — she spoke and was heard.
So today, I am thankful for all the women who have undermined patriarchy — the ones who have spoken and been heard.
