I felt uplifted as I read the lectionary text for today. It was not even the content of the whole passage, but the first three words alone were sufficient to excite me — “And Mary said”.
What a wonderful beginning to the passage! In the last few weeks I have bemoaned, on several occasions, women who in the gospel texts remained unnamed. Often, these women were identified only by their relationship to a male — the daughter of someone or the sister of someone. They were invisible in their own personhood.
Yet, here, right at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke the author announces, “And Mary said”. A woman is being identified by her own name, and her words are being given a place of importance. It is, indeed, a cause for rejoicing.
I would like to think that her words are completely unaltered, yet, I have to admit that they are probably mitigated through the lens of the male gospel writer. Nevertheless, it does not detract from the magnitude of allowing a named woman to speak and be credited with this speech.
These powerful words speak of a sort of redemptive justice, a different realm, a reversal of the norm. This prophetic utterance declared the mission of the child Mary was bearing. This is not Mary, meek and mild as often depicted in writings and art but a strong prophetic woman who was given her own name. This is not a woman just speaking to other women, this is a woman uttering a message for all. It is something to be rejoiced in.
As I am writing this, excited about a woman who was named, heard and listened to, not just in the moment but throughout the centuries, I am hearing the overnight news from Afghanistan. I am saddened about what this will mean for the people, especially women and young girls. They will be much in my prayers in the ensuing weeks and months. One day, I hope life will be different for these women in Afghanistan.
Change does take time, women being seen and heard is comparatively new. One only has to look at history, and not even ancient history, to see that. Even in our contemporary society change is slow to happen, seeds planted in one generation only start to bud in the next generation until they eventually show fruit.
Mary’s proclamation and the acknowledgement are anachronistic. They stand as a prototype and as an example to all. So today, I rejoice in those three small words with huge implications — “and Mary said.”
