When Sister Ruth Fox examined the biblical books featuring women, she found that the total Book of Ruth merits only two weekday readings (*423, *424).  In addition to this being a story of loyalty and devotion, Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus. according to Matthew’s gospel. 

The Book of Esther, a story of great heroism in a time of oppression, has one reading for Lent (*228) and three others that might never be used: one option for Common of Saints (*737); and two for Masses for various occasions(*821,*876).  The Book of Judith, the story of another heroine who jeopardizes her life for her people, has just two passages for Common of Saints (*709, *737).

 Since Sister had done some study of women prophets in scripture, she naturally wondered what the lectionary did with them.  Her search for Miriam revealed that the passage is omitted in which she is called a prophet and where she led a song of thanksgiving (actually a liturgy in those pre-priest days) after the crossing of the sea (Ex 15:20-21).  However, Miriam does not escape without the revelation to the world of the story of her sin and punishment with leprosy, for Numbers 12: 1-13 is included for a weekday reading (*408) every other year.

Also omitted from the Book of Exodus is the account of the two brave midwives, Shiprah and Puah, who dared to defy the order given by Pharaoh to kill the baby boys of the Hebrews.  The weekday reading from Chapter 1 of Exodus (*389) skips from verse 14 to 22, thus skimming over their story of defiance of pharaoh’s law of death in favor of God’s law of life.  How relevant and encouraging these women would be for the anti-abortion movement today, if their stories were told.

Deborah, another woman named a prophet as well as a mother of Israel, was also passed over.  Deborah was not only a prophet in the pre-monarchical times, but also a judge of Israel.  She planned a defensive military strategy and personally went up to battle with her appointed general.  They achieved an astounding military victory over their enemies, the Canaanites.

Deborah’s song of victory in Judges 5: 1-31 is considered one of the most ancient extant compositions of the Hebrews. Yet, Deborah is not allowed to take her place in the lectionary beside Gideon, Jotham and Jephtahah from the Book of Judges.    

Huldah the prophet made history in Second Kings, Chapter 22.  This woman, a seventh century B.C. contemporary of Jeremiah and one of the few women or men named a prophet, was consulted by King Josiah, noted for his repair of the temple and for religious reforms.  It seems that an old scroll (now thought to be probably the original form of Deuteronomy) was found in the temple by the priest Hilkiah, who asked a scribe to read it to the king.

The king  responded, “Go consult the Lord for me, for the people, for all Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found.”  The next verse indicates that they took the scroll to Huldah the prophet to find out whether it was truly the word of God.  She verified the authenticity of the scroll, and, as a prophet, spoke God’s warnings to the king.  These verses referring to Huldah are neatly sliced out of the middle of the passage given in the lectionary (*373).

From an essay by Marjorie Procter-Smith in Women: Invisible in Theology and Church (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1985) Ruth found that Procter-Smith examines the images of women in the readings of the Common Lectionary used by many Protestant churches for Sundays and feast days.  With the assistance of that article, Ruth made further studies of the New Testament readings in the Roman lectionary.

One of the healing miracles of Jesus recorded in the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) involves two women, the daughter of Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage.  These two healings are intertwined to indicate their innate relationship with each other.  Yet, the healing of the woman, where Jesus broke several taboos against women, may be sliced out of Mark’s gospel (Mk 5:21-43) in the optional short Sunday reading of Year B (*99). If the celebrant decides not to read it on Year B, it is never heard by the Sunday crowd.  Mark’s complete version and Matthew’s may be heard on a weekday (*324, *383), but Luke’s is omitted altogether.

The passion reading for Palm Sunday in Year B (*38) is from the Gospel of Matthew.  The selection begins with Matthew 26:14, omitting verses 6-13, which is the obvious introduction to the Passion – the anointing of Jesus on the head by a woman.  The short version of this same reading for Year A also concludes just before the mention of the faithful women who had followed Jesus to Jerusalem from Galilee.  The gospel reading for Wednesday of Holy Week (*260) begins again with Matthew 26:14, repeating the story from Sunday of the betrayal by Judas and excluding again the anointing by a women.

The Passion reading for Year C is from the Gospel of Luke.  In Luke, the anointing of Jesus takes place earlier in Jesus’ ministry (Lk 7:36-50).  Luke’s account also differs from the earlier gospels of Mark and Matthew by identifying the woman who anoints Jesus as a sinful woman who anoints Jesus on his feet, not his head.  So, even through the sinful woman does not appear on Palm Sunday in Year C, she is exposed on another Sunday in Year C (*94) and also on a weekday every year (*446);

John’s account of the Passion is always read on Good Friday.  In his gospel, the anointing of Jesus is performed by Mary of Bethany at a banquet served by her sister Martha.  This version of the anointing story (Jn 12:1-8) is read only on a weekday, Monday of Holy Week.

If asked about the anointing of Jesus, most Catholics probably would say Jesus was anointed on his feet by a sinful woman (probably even naming her Mary Magdalene, which the scripture does not).  The lectionary has not given us familiarity with Mark’s and Matthew’s version where a woman, not identified as a sinner, assumed the role of a prophet in anointing Jesus on the head.  Jesus’ words to his companions who criticized her are still waiting to be heard: “I assure you, wherever the Good News is proclaimed throughout the world, what she has done will be told in her memory.”  (Mk 14:9)

There are other noteworthy omissions from the gospel readings.  It seems almost impossible to believe that the Magnificat, the beautiful and revolutionary song of Mary in Luke 1:46-56 is never read on a Sunday.  It is read on a weekday before Christmas (*199) and on two feast days of Mary: the Visitation (*572) and the Assumption (*622).  How many Catholics will become familiar with this marvelous song of praise attributed to the mother of Jesus?

Luke is the only evangelist who records Jesus’ healing at the synagogue of a woman who had been crippled for 18 years (Lk 13:10-17).Yet, this story of her faith and Jesus’ breaking of the Sabbath law to heal her is not included in the Sundays of Year C, the year of Luke, but is placed only on a weekday.

It is well-known that all four of the gospels agree that the faithful women disciples, headed by Mary Magdalene, were the first witnesses to the resurrection.  However, Easter’s gospel (*43) from John 20: 1-9 stops just at the point of the beautiful and touching story of Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene in the garden.  She does not rate any Sunday of the Easter season, even though the Sundays seem to run out of stories of Jesus’ appearances and fill in with other passages. 

This profoundly moving story is found only on Easter Tuesday (*262) and on Mary Magdalene’s weekday feast in July (603).  But Peter’s and John’s race to the tomb in John 20: 1-9 (*43) is retold every Easter, and Jesus’ appearance to Thomas in John 20:19-31 (*44) is read on the Sunday after Easter every year.

We find the same problems in the saints listed in the lectionary.  A cursory review of the annual calendar of celebrations reveals that there are 144 male saints (not counting the three masculine-named archangels) and 29 female saints (counting Mary).

 Sister Ruth concludes her important work by this comment: Liturgy is the center of our Christian life, the primary means by which our spirituality is nourished, formed and celebrated.  Liturgy is the action of remembering our salvation history in story and ritual, of which the framework and core is scripture.  In the readings from the lectionary at Mass, are we Catholics receiving the “richer fare” promised to us by the reforms mandated by Vatican II? 

Benedictine Sister Ruth Fox is the Prioress of the Sacred Heart Monastery of Richardton, N. D.  We owe her a great debt of gratitude for her work, which should prompt us, both men and women, to see that women in our care are given the fleshed-out versions of the magnificent women in our Old and New Testament readings.

Lord, in this time of war and confusion beyond our power to comprehend,  please grant us the wisdom and strength of these great women, that in ways hidden and public, we may help to bring your message of peace and justice to a hungry world.  Amen.

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