Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C – April 7, 2019.

Readings: Is. 43:16-21; Responsorial Psalm Ps 126:1-2.2-.4-5.6(3); 

Phil. 3:8-14 & Gospel Luke 8:1-11.

Theme: The Adulterous Woman & the Gender Question!

Introduction

Since the time of the Civil Rights Movement (mid-1950s) in the United States of America (USA) sparked off by the refusal of a black seamstress, Rosa Parks to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, public bus in 1955, the likes of Martin Luther King Jr and other feminists have risen to the occasion to condemn in totality, the discrimination and marginalization of women. Today, the consistency with which biblical principles are used to either argue for or against the discrimination of women is baffling. The good news is that in today’s gospel, Jesus addresses the issue (of discrimination of women) squarely. In this reflection tilted: “The Adulterous Woman and the Gender Question,” we shall highlight background and summary of the readings, biblical examples of discrimination of women, factors responsible for discrimination of women, pastoral lessons, homiletic quotes to remember and conclusion.

Background & Summary of the Readings

The first reading (Is. 43:16-21) narrates how God delivered the people of Israel from their ordeal in Egypt. It equally tells how he urged the people not to brood over past events. On the contrary, he promised to do something new namely creating a road in the desert and rivers in wastelands. What is more, he notes that the wild animals would honour him for bestowing water in the land as well as the wastelands to the drinking pleasure of the chosen people. As a consequence, the reading states that, the elect would sing the praises of the Lord for his kindness.  

In the second reading (Phil. 3:8-14), St. Paul tells the Philippians that he has accepted the loss of everything for the sake of Christ. He charges that if only he can find Christ, every other thing is filth. He maintained that he has gained uprightness not form the Law but from Christ based on faith and the power of the resurrection as he partakes in the passion. He noted that he is still struggling to win the prize for which Christ has called him. He emphasized that what is at stake is forgetting what is behind him in order to forge ahead to the finishing point to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.  

The Gospel (Luke 8:1-11) recalls how the Scribes and Pharisees brought in a woman whom they allegedly caught in the act of adultery while Jesus was teaching in the Temple; after he had returned from the Mount of Olives. Making her stand in the middle of the crowd, they told Jesus that they wanted to know his position concerning the crime because in the Law of Moses, women of this kind were supposed to be stoned to death. We are told that they asked that question to put him to test.

But he bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. As they insisted in asking the question, he straightened up and said, he who has no sin should be the first to stone her; then he bent down and wrote for the second time; at that, they went away one by one, beginning from the eldest to the least leaving the women with Jesus. When he straightened up, he said, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No Sir” and Jesus said: “Neither do I condemn you…go away and from this moment sin no more.”  Apparently, the woman did not commit adultery alone but she was the only person who was caught and brought for condemnation and execution. There was no mention of the man. This brings us to the issue of discrimination of women.

Biblical Examples of Discrimination of Women

1. Susanna: The book of Daniel Chapter 13 reveals the story of a fair Hebrew woman by name Susanna who was falsely accused by two elders for sleeping with a young man. As she was bathing in her husband’s garden, she sent her attendants away. Just then, two lustful men secretly entered the garden and wanted to sleep with her but she resisted them. As a result, she shouted and they laid false accusation on her that they caught her committing adultery with a young man. They said, the young man was too strong for them that is why he escaped. It took the Spirit of God in Daniel to rescue the daughter of Abraham from their claws.

2. Mary Magdalene: Another woman who suffered discrimination in the hands of the Pharisees was Mary Magdalene, the prostitute who was exorcised of seven demons. When the Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw her washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, kissing them many times and rubbing them with the perfume, he thought to himself: “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman touching him is a sinner” (Cf. Luke 7:36-50). No doubt, the Pharisee’s statement was condemnatory!

3. The Woman of Samaria: The encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:4-42) at Jacob’s well is one that relates to the discrimination of women. Little wonder the disciples wondered why Jesus was talking to a woman in public. 

4. Feeding of the Crowd: In the stories of the feeding of the four (Cf. Matthew 15:29-39) and five thousand (Cf. Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14) respectively, based on the Jewish culture, women and children were not counted – they didn’t matter. Yet, surprisingly, they would be more than men since women are naturally more religious than men.

Factors Responsible for Discrimination of Women

1. Cultural, Religious and Societal Norms: In Africa, Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world, cultural, religious and social norms are often advanced as reasons for not giving women equal opportunities like their male counterparts. We must no mistake roles for rights. However, what often plays out is that while women labour a lot in terms of child-bearing, caring and providing for their families plus doing domestic chores, they are the ones who suffer the most in terms of sexual and domestic violence, educational backwardness and other such abuses. The excuse that is often given is, “our culture, religion and society” says “women are to be seen and not heard.”

Perhaps this is what leads to the forceful abduction and Islamization of girls in northern Nigeria. The case of a minor, Ese Duru who was abducted from Bayelsa in lieu of forceful Islamization is fresh in our minds.  How about that of late Ochanya Ogbanje, in Benue State, who was serially molested sexually by the male child and husband of her aunty leading to complications and eventual death? This is a huge challenge for Christians! 

2. Male Chauvinism:  The patriarchal nature of society has given men advantage over women such that evil men stretch male-chauvinism to its limits. In a situation where women are denied basic rights such as education or foods (like egg and chicken-gizzard) in some cultures in Africa, it is regrettable. In some societies, women cannot inherit property or even speak at family meetings. The male dominance has created a situation where women work like donkeys while some of the men are out there enjoying themselves. What is worrisome is that the mentality that a man is superior to a woman and owns her if she is married to him has further made polygamy a sweet option for some men – they can marry, divorce and remarry at will. This is another big challenge for Christianity!    

  

3. Lack of Will-Power: While everyone is apparently not in support of the subjugation of women, there is lack of will-power by leaders and stakeholders to speak in favour of women rights. How many leaders and stakeholders have come out to speak about the release of Leah Sharibu, Alice Loksha and others who are still in the custody of Boko Haram?

Pastoral Lessons

1. The Lord who bestowed water in the wastelands for the drinking pleasure of his chosen people is able to restore the lost dignity of everyone especially abused-women if we trust in him.

2. Just as the first reading states that the elect would sing the praises of the Lord for his kindness, those whose dignity has been restored are challenged to offer thanksgiving to God.

3. Like St. Paul in the second reading, we are urged to accept the loss of everything for the sake of Christ.

4. So long as we are in the flesh, we are encouraged to keep struggling so as to win the prize of eternal glory for which Christ has called us.

5. As Christians, we are warned to desist from “naming and shaming” or public-profiling of sinners as demonstrated by the Scribes and Pharisees who made the adulterous woman stand in the middle of the crowd to shame and disgrace her.

6. By only presenting the woman to Jesus without the man, the Scribes and Pharisees displayed male-chauvinism of the highest order which calls men in authority today to beware of.

7. By making recourse to the Law of Moses as a pretext for their condemnation of the woman’s sin, the Scribes and Pharisees did not temper justice with mercy which challenges us to do a sober reflection when issues like these occur in our communities.

8. Importantly too, their recourse to death penalty and putting Jesus to the test should make us to realize that what the Lord seeks from us is mercy not sacrifice (Cf. Matthew 9:13) as his word tells us bearing in mind that we must not put the Lord our God to the test (Cf. Deuteronomy 6:16 & Matthew 4:7).

9. Christians ought to understand that Jesus consistently treated women with respect that was why he refused to follow the discriminatory traditions and regulations which were held by the Scribes and Pharisees.

10. We must strive to emulate Jesus who accepted women into his inner circle of friends (Cf. Luke 8:1-3), talked to non-Jewish women (Cf. Matthew 15:22-28; John 4:7-9), taught women (Cf. Luke 10:38-42) and protected them from being abandoned (Cf. Mark 10:11, 12).

Homiletic Quotes to Remember

1. In today’s gospel, Jesus addresses the issue of discrimination of women squarely.

2. God urged the people not to brood over past events.

3. St. Paul tells the Philippians that he has accepted the loss of everything for the sake of Christ.

4. Apparently, the woman did not commit adultery alone but she was the only person who was caught.

5. “Neither do I condemn you…go away and from this moment sin no more.” 

Conclusion  

In conclusion, in a society where the girl-child is often discriminated upon, we urge parents and guardians, educationists, those who make our laws and apply them as well as other relevant stakeholders to always remember that male and female have equal value in the eyes of God. This was what Jesus preached and lived in his life. Amidst violent attack and abuses on women such as rape and trafficking of the girl-child, we are urged to use the message of the adulterous woman to address the gender question in our communities. We need more women activists in the mould of Rosa Parks like Oby Ezekwesili, Aisha Wakil, Maryam Uwais et al.

We ought to remember that at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell on both men and women (Cf. Acts 2:1-4, 17, 18). Since Christ the author and the finisher of our faith (Cf. Hebrews 12:2) did not condemn the adulterous women but charged her to go and repent, we are called upon to spread the message of love and forgiveness as we continue our annual Lenten observances of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Have a blessed week!