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INTENTION : |
Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognised in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.
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Women at the service of the Gospel
Today, we have come to give due honour recognition to the many female figures who played an effective and valuable role in spreading the Gospel.
In conformity with what Jesus Himself said of the woman who anointed His head shortly before the Passion: "Truly, I say to you, wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her" (Mt 26:13; Mk 14:9), their testimony cannot be forgotten.
These numerous women witnesses, who made a contribution so that faith in Him would grow and be known, are kept alive in the Church by our memory of them. We can historically distinguish the role of the first women in early Christianity, during Jesus' earthly life and in the events of the first Christian generation.
The fact is obvious that, in addition to the Twelve -pillars of the Church and fathers of the new People of God, many women were also chosen to number among the disciples. We can only mention very briefly those who followed Jesus Himself, beginning with the Prophetess Anna (cf. Lk 2:36-38), to the Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4:1-39), the Syro-Phoenician woman (cf. Mk 7:24-30), the woman with the haemorrhage (cf. Mt 9:20-22) and the sinful woman whose sins were forgiven (cf. Lk 7:36-50).
More important for our attention are the women who played an active role in the context of Jesus' mission. In first place, we think spontaneously of the Virgin Mary, who, with her faith and maternal labours, collaborated in a unique way in our Redemption, to the point that Elizabeth proclaimed her "Blessed... among women" (Lk 1:42), adding: "Blessed is she who believed..." (Lk 1:45).
Having become a disciple of her Son, Mary manifested total trust in Him at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5), and followed Him to the foot of the Cross where she received from Him a maternal mission for all His disciples for all times, represented by John (cf. Jn 19: 25-27).
Then there are various women with roles of responsibility who gravitated in their different capacities around the figure of Jesus. The women who followed Jesus to assist Him with their own means, some of whose names Luke has passed down to us, are an eloquent example:Mary of Magdala, Joanna, Susanna and "many others." (cf. Lk 8:2-3).
The Gospels then tell us that the women, unlike the Twelve, did not abandon Jesus in the hour of His Passion (cf. Mt 27:56,61; Mk 15:40). Among them, Mary Magdalene stands out in particular. Not only was she present at the Passion, but she was also the first witness and herald of the Risen One (cf. Jn 20:1,11-18).
It was precisely to Mary Magdalene that St Thomas Aquinas reserved the special title, "Apostle of the Apostles" (apostolorum apostola), dedicating to her this beautiful comment: "Just as a woman had announced the words of death to the first man, so also a woman was the first to announce to the Apostles the words of life" (Super Ioannem, ed. Cai, 2519).
It is to St Paul that we are indebted for a more ample documentation on the dignity and ecclesial role of women. He begins with the fundamental principle according to which for the baptized: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28), that is, all are united in the same basic dignity, although each with specific functions (cf. I Cor 12:27,30).
The Apostle accepts as normal the fact that a woman can "prophesy" in the Christian community (I Cor 11:5), that is, speak openly under the influence of the Spirit, as long as it is for the edification of the community and done in a dignified manner.
We came across the figure of Prisca or Priscilla, Aquila's wife who, surprisingly, is mentioned before her husband in two cases (cf. Acts 18:18; Rom 16:3): In any case, both are explicitly described by Paul as his sun-ergous, "collaborators" (Rom 16:3).
It should be noted, for example, that Paul's short Letter to Philemon is actually also addressed to a woman called "Apphia" (cf. Phlm 2). The Latin and Syriac translations of the Greek text add to this name "Apphia", the appellative "soror carissima", and it must be said that she must have held an important position in the community at Colossae.
Elsewhere, the Apostle mentions a certain "Phoebe", described as "a deaconess of the Church at Cenchreae", the port town east of Corinth (Rom 16: 1-2). Although at that time the title had not yet acquired a specific ministerial value of a hierarchical kind, it expresses a true and proper exercise of responsibility on the part of this woman for this Christian community. Paul recommends that she be received cordially and assisted "in whatever she may require". Then he adds: "for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well".
In the same epistolary context the Apostle outlines with delicate touches the names of other women: a certain Mary, then Tryphaena, Tryphosa and "the beloved" Persis, as well as Julia, of whom he writes openly that they have "worked hard among you" or "worked hard in the Lord" (Rom 16:6,12a,12b,15), thereby emphasizing their strong ecclesial commitment.
Furthermore, in the Church at Philippi, two women were to distinguish themselves, Euodia and Syntyche (cf. Phil 4:2). Paul's entreaty to mutual agreement suggests that these two women played an important role in that community.
Pope St John Paul II wrote in his Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem: "The Church gives thanks for each and every woman.... The Church gives thanks for all the manifestations of the feminine "genius" which have appeared in the course of history, in the midst of all peoples and nations; she gives thanks for all the charisms which the Holy Spirit distributes to women in the history of the People of God, for all the victories which she owes to their faith, hope and charity."
In short, without the generous contribution of many women, the history of Christianity would have developed very differently.
Adapted from: BENEDICT XVI, GENERAL AUDIENCE,
Paul VI Audience Hall,
Wednesday, 14 February 2007.
A Nun's Testimony of Service and Dignity
Sister Laurentina belongs to the Sister Divina Providentia Congregation (SDP). Her work in helping repatriate the corpses of illegal Indonesian migrant workers has earned her the nickname "Sister Cargo". Everytime there is any Indonesian migrant worker forcibly sent home to their native village in East Nusa Tenggara Province through Kupang-based El Tari airport, in the province's capital city, then it will be a busy day for Sister Laurentia.
Her organisation, JPIC Divina Providentia - Kupang, under the auspices of the Divine Providence Social Foundation, helps arrange the return of migrant workers' corpses to their families. Sister Laurentina often makes the trip to the airport to collect the bodies of dead migrant workers. On one occasion, she describes the experience of waiting with the migrant worker's family for the cargo to arrive. "My heart was very touched while chatting with the little boy, especially when the coffin was pulled out. He innocently told me, 'Sister, there is Mama!' I told him, 'Son, let's pray first for Mama'. He smiled and we prayed for the deceased and her family, and for the trip back to their village in Atambua to go smoothly."
"Cargo nun" is a laudatory term for Sr Laurentina's endless dedication to everything related to migrant workers. "What I do frequently in Kupang airport's cargo terminal is to receive a human body. I want to treat the deceased with dignity."
Source:
https://www.sesawi.net/sr-laurentina-sdp-the-indonesian-cargo-nun-with-a-big-heart-for-victims-of-human-trafficking-practices/
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