Homily: Thirtieth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Thirtieth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Eph. 5:21-33) “St. Paul and Women”

Ephesians 5:21-33 is a reading that lectors stumble over, and preachers struggle with. The passage was either written by St. Paul or it was written by a man in Paul’s name. This is an example of a bible passage that has been used as a proof text. The passage has been used by churches throughout the centuries to justify the oppression of women.

Proof texting is never a good idea. Usually, it revolves around having an opinion and then going into the Bible to find a verse to justify that opinion. An example might be how people choose to deal with the poor. If one is wealthy and wants to hoard their wealth then they might use the text, “The poor you will always have with you” (John 12:8). The words are part of a much longer more complex sermon of Jesus. We also must look at all the other things Jesus said about property and the poor in the Gospels. Obviously, he thought the measure of a person’s faith was shown by how they treated the poor.

In this case we must look at the total passage. Jesus challenges husbands and wives to treat each other with respect. He tells men and women to be subordinate to each other at the beginning of the text. But we could dig deeper.

If we examine the ministry of St. Paul, we will find that the success of his ministry was very much dependent on his women friends. They provided him with money. Wealthy women open their houses for church services. Some of them help lead church communities. Often in St. Paul’s letter he will refer to women who are his friends that he has met during his journeys.

Paul many have not been a strong feminist in today’s sense, but in his time, he was certainly liberal in his view of how women should operate in the church. When we examine leaders’ lives, we must look at what they do to empower others. Paul had many women as important disciples.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Do I sometimes use brief snippets of scripture to prove a point? What do I say?

2.    When I judge a historical figure am I turned off if they have a bad moment? Do I look at their whole life and then judge?

 Dear Parishioners,

           Seton had their fall festival on Saturday night. It was a fun time for all involved. Some good money was raised for Seton. At the end of the evening there was a “fund a need” time. People could pledge everything from $1000 dollars on down to $100. This is a great way to sponsor a program at the school.

          Someone called the school late last week and said they would match what people would pledge for “fund a need” up to $20,000. Unfortunately, we were short of that amount. If you would like to give a gift to Seton Catholic School and have your money doubled, you might call the school today and ask if it is too late to help.

          May our Lady of Peace pray for our violent world today.

          Fr. Mark