The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
As a young girl, and ever since,
ever since,
she had a problem with men
and they with her.
Never enough –
good enough, smart enough, pretty enough.
Never seen as a person,
much less an equal.
Never heard,
much less listened to.
Never thanked,
much less appreciated.
Never welcomed to the table,
although it was she who prepared it.
She was an object to be used,
and in turn she used men.
Codependents in shame and secrets,
survival and compromises,
scheming and manipulating.
Her soul had grown weary of weeping.
But this time, this time,
someone had loved her in truth,
and she received it to her core,
and her response was gratitude.
But this time, this one time,
she would do it well enough,
beyond criticism,
beyond what could go unnoticed.
She sold all she had to purchase the oil.
And although her familiar foes judged,
attacked and dismissed once more,
this time, this time,
someone received her with dignity and respect,
love for love,
person to person,
divinity revealed to those who would see.
Reflection and Prayer
Misogyny and the harm it inflicts every day is real, individually, communally and systemically. Ask for the grace to become fully aware of experiences of misogyny in your life, both personally and in the broader sense, either on the giving or receiving end. Ask also for the grace to become fully aware of the harm. Try to empathize and articulate the feelings on both sides. Then ask for Jesus to tell you how he feels and to show you where he stands—always on the side of love, freedom, authenticity and dignity—he suffers out of love. It is possible that this reflection may carry over for several days, but stay with it until Jesus reveals to you an insight as to what you are to do to change yourself and the world we live in.