The above heading is not mine; it stems from an article written by Sister Ruth Fox, a member of the Benedictine Sacred Heart Monastery of Richardton, N. D., which was published in the May 13, 1994 issue of The National Catholic Reporter.  And it was that paper’s publisher, Sister Rita Larivee, SSA, who graciously sent me the text of the work. It was Fox, herself, who gave permission for it to be used in this article.

 Therefore, it is the combined work of three women who are bringing to your attention the degree to which unscrupulous liturgists ( hardly worthy of the title) went, to keep examples of strong women from appearing in the liturgy.

When I first read the article those many years ago, I declared to myself: “They couldn’t!”  “They wouldn’t!”   They could.  And they did.

In the September 14th issue of the same paper, John Allen Jr. explained the unexplainable, causing consternation throughout the Catholic liturgical world in small missions and giant cathedrals, alike. 

“What has become clear is that the elaborate consultive process used in developing English-language translations for nearly three decades meant little.  Powers in Rome handpicked a small group of men, who, in two weeks undid work that had taken dozens of years.”  

Allen commented: “This is the scandal of it,” said one source close to the battle over the lectionary, upon hearing the names of those involved; “these decisions were being made by unqualified people with a clear bias against inclusive language.”  Allen described the situation:

Out of the 11 men – no women were included -- and only one held a degree in scripture studies; Two members of the group were not native English-speakers, and another was from the United Kingdom with no significant time in the United Statres – critical, some say, to an appreciation of idiomatic American English At least one of the advisers was a graduate student at the time of the meeting. Several members of the group had a history of objecting to inclusive-language translations, including two of the American archbishops and the lone scripture scholar.

In a second article by Allen, published in the same issue, we were introduced to the main man behind the lectionary used today, Michael Waldstein, a friend of both the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, Austria, and president of a theological institute that enjoys ties to the American Catholic right.

Allen quotes a Bible scholar who knew Waldstein as a graduate student at Harvard: “He’s an excellent scholar, no problem with his work.  But he’s also one of the most rigid guys I know when you get him on theology – really, really right-wing.”

If we stop to consider that millions of little people dropped money into the collection baskets to pay for those years of salaries, books, travel expenses, and lodging for the best and brightest the Church had to offer, whose work was swept aside by a handful of men, as they destroyed  years of scholarship in two weeks, obliterating  everything in their path, then proudly declaring  themselves the gift-bearers of a lectionary worthy of God’s people, we can understand the near-despair of millions of Catholics.

More than the loss of money, or energy, or time, was the erosion  of trust of those in authority to be responsive to the needs of the people in the pews.

Ruth Fox told us there was devastation beyond that of language; selected Bible passages depicting women as strong, capable and able to run their own and their family’s affairs, were excised from the lectionary. 

In Chapter 16 of Paul’s greetings to his men and women coworkers, two verses about the deacon Phoebe were omitted: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess (the Greek word is actually deacon, not deaconess) of the church of Cenchrae (Corinth).  Please welcome her in the Lord, as saints should.  If she needs help in anything, give it to her, for she herself has been of help to many, including myself.” 

 One Sunday, when reading the poetic praise of the valiant woman or worthy wife from the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 31, Fox noticed the selection did not match her own recollection of the passage.

The lectionary omitted the passages that praised the woman’s initiative, business acumen, dignity and wisdom.  (31: 14-18, 21-29) My Jerusalem Bible provides us with these powerful verses:

She is like those merchant vessels,
     bringing her food from far away.
She gets up while it is still dark
     giving her household their food,
     giving orders to her serving girls.
She sets her mind on a field, then she buys it;
     with what her hands have earned she plants a vineyard.
She puts her back into her work
     and shows how strong her arms can be. 
She knows that her affairs are going well
      her lamp does not go out at night.
She makes her own quilts,
     she is dressed in fine linen and purple.
Snow may come, she has no fears for her household,
      with all her servants warmly clothed.
She makes her own quilts,
     she is dressed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gates,
     taking his seat among the elders of the land.
She weaves materials and sells them,
      she supplies the merchant with sashes.
She is clothed in strength and dignity,
      she can laugh at the day to come.
When she opens her mouth, she does so wisely;
      on her tongue is kindly instruction.
She keeps good watch on the conduct of her household,
      no bread of idleness for her.
Her children stand up and proclaim her blessed,
      her husband, too, sings her praises;
Many women have done wonderful things,
      but you surpass them all!
Charm is beautiful, and beauty empty;
      the woman who fears Yahweh is the one to praise.
Give her a share in what her hands have worked for,
      and let her works tell her praises at the city gates. 

We cannot imagine how inspiring and comforting these verses would be if they were read at Sunday Mass, where the entire congregation would be united in hearing about so marvelous a woman, an example to all, men and women, young and old.

                                                                        (to be continued)

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