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Greetings, SBT Readers:
Alas, poor Eve -- and alas for all the women who have been negatively impacted by the biblical story of The Fall. A literal reading of any text can have its hazards, but this particular story has shaped destructive attitudes to women for nearly 3.5 millennia. Seen as the instigator of sin and the one responsible for her husband's sin, Eve came to represent "the devil's gateway," "the second sex," a creature governed by passion rather than reason, someone easily led astray. As a result, people in patriarchal societies began to see menstruation, painful labors and difficult deliveries as inherited punishment for Eve's transgression; worse still, they came to view women's bodies and bodily functions as "unclean." This meant that women were often banned from sacred places, especially if they were menstruating or if they had recently given birth; this, in turn, meant that they were were prohibited from holding sacred office or from performing sacred rituals. Sadly, women often believed the destructive messages issuing from synagogues and churches; the only role models were of virginal saints who had transcended their gender and earthly inclinations.
For those of you preaching this Sunday, please remember to point out the difference between "history" and "allegory" and to rehabilitate the image of women we find the Gn 2. Women's lives depend upon it!
Many Blessings!
Elizabeth
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Link to the Sunday Readings
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread."
He replied, "It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, saying, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Jesus replied, "Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, saying, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."
At this, Jesus said, "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve."
Mt 4:1-11
It is interesting how the Gospels of both Matthew and Luke state that the Spirit led Jesus into desert specifically "to be tempted by the devil." Mark's Gospel, in contrast, points out that Jesus was tempted in the desert but this comes across more as an "and" than a "to"; in other words, Jesus withdrew to the desert where he happened to be tempted. The distinction may be subtle but it is an important one, especially as we set out on our own desert journey into Lent: Is the Spirit leading us on a 40-day penitential observance "to be tested" or will we have more of an "and" experience? Will we have to confront some core temptation or will our focus be on penance with some temptations thrown in for good measure?
Now, the difference between "to" and "and" may simply be a matter of translation, but as I read Matthew's account of the temptation of Jesus, I see one distinct temptation emerging: "Whom will you serve?" All three temptations, in fact, are variations on the same theme. Whether Jesus turns stones to bread to satisfy his own hunger and to demonstrate magical powers, or whether he takes a leap from the Temple parapet to prove that God and the angels "have his back," or whether he sells his soul for the kingdoms of the world, the question is the same: Will he serve the God of Israel or will he bow to other gods? Will he be the obedient Son or, like the Israelites who were lost in the wilderness for 40 years on account of their disobedience and lack of faith, will he rebel?
"Whom will you serve?" This question lies at the heart of all prayer, fasting and almsgiving. A penitential mindset saves us from hubris, the most dreaded of ancient sins -- the belief that we don't need God because we ourselves are fully in control of our lives. When we pray, for example, we acknowledge God as the source of our being, surrendering to God's desire for us while spending time in union with the Holy One. When we fast, we allow "emptiness" to enter our lives so that we can make room for that Presence which alone can truly satisfy us. And when we give alms, we are reminded that God is the source of all that we have and that nothing we own has come from our efforts alone.
"Whom will you serve?" In practice, many of us serve ourselves, our interests and our well-being-- or else we serve the significant individuals, groups and causes in our lives. Lent, however, calls us to re-examine our priorities and our allegiances; it invites us to move beyond mere acts of self-denial and to reflect, instead, on our relationship with God:
"But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Josh 24:15
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
* How will your observance of Lent this year differ from your observance of previous Lents and why?
* Who are some of the individuals, groups and causes that you serve and does this service align with your service of God?
* What do you learn about temptation from Genesis 2, and why is the serpent gifted in its strategies?
* What does it mean to have "a clean heart" and a "steadfast spirit" (Ps 51)?
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UPCOMING COURSES/ WORKSHOPS
Imagery and Spiritual Awakening
Institute for Life Coach Training
Wednesdays, 6-7:30 PM ET
March 15th - (skip April 5th) - May 3rd
Ways of Sacred Listening
Institute for Life Coach Training
Wednesdays, 6-7:30 PM ET
May 17th-June 28th, 2023
From VUCA to BANI: Strategies for Navigating a Changing World
Infinity Foundation
August 9th, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Zoom. Details TBA.
Lazarus and the Rich Man: Archetypes of Agony and Entitlement
Parliament of the World's Religions
Chicago, August 2023
Details TBA
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PRAY
that sanity will prevail and that all those
suffering on account of the terrible conflict in Ukraine
will find the comfort and resources they need.
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