Jesus allowed women in (Bishop Robert Barron)

   In service of God’s way of ordering the world, Jesus allowed women into his inner circle. The story of Martha and Mary gives us a very interesting clue in this regard. Martha is in the space reserved for women: she is in the kitchen preparing the meal. But Mary is in the place reserved for men: she is sitting at the feet of the rabbi. It is the attitude of the disciple. 

    Luke, who told this story, was a companion of Paul, and his Gospel reflects many of Paul’s themes. In Galatians, Paul famously said, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

   This was very radical stuff, for these were some of the most basic social divisions of the time, and each carried a clear evaluative weight. Free men were a lot better off than slaves; Jews had huge advantages over Greeks, and males were seen as superior to females. But not anymore, in light of the kingdom of God that Jesus announced. 

 --Bishop Robert Barron, 

Gospel Reflection, 

October 6, 2020 

Image source: St. John’s Bible, Jesus with Mary and Martha, https://magazine.berea.edu/summer-2015/a-year-with-the-saint-johns-bible-seeing-the-divine/