Friends
Peace be with you.
This week, like last week, we hear in our first reading from a book that is part of what our Jewish brothers and sisters refer to as “Wisdom Literature”. And, like last week, wisdom is personified as a woman. Now, I’m sure that doesn’t surprise any of us, especially any of the women in the congregation. Women are wise. And it’s common for us to use women as images of wisdom. Think of the Statue of Liberty welcoming people to New York Harbor or the statue of Lady Justice at the Supreme Court building. Still, I think this story may help us understand how we read this poem in the context of the church.
Often, this passage is read at Jewish and Christian women’s funeral services. It is also read at night by Jewish husbands to their wives on Friday evenings, the evening of the Jewish Sabbath. It’s a way for them to remind themselves of their partnership, that the husband should be thankful for his woman of strength and the woman should fear the Lord. That’s a beautiful tradition, really, and possibly one some of you may consider doing. Maybe, instead of reading Proverbs 31 each week, you could read First Corinthians 13, the “Love is patient, love is kind” passage.
Still, what does this have to do with the Christian life? One image of the church is that we are the unspotted bride of Christ. We need analogies like this to set our goals in life. So, if we, the members of the church, are meant to live as the bride of Christ, what does that mean? The church provides this shortened passage from the first reading to help guide us in this. As I read over that first reading, there are essentially three characteristics the worthy wife, which would be better translated as the woman of strength, has that the church should emulate. First, she works hard. Obtaining wool and flax and manually using a spindle would be a hard job, especially without an engine to do the work for you. Imagine having to begin making a dress or a pair of pants by sheering a sheep. In this same way we are to work hard. But at what? I’ll come back to this question.
Second, those hard working hands give generously to the poor. You work super hard to make all that stuff, you’d think you’d be able to just keep it for yourself if you have anything left over but, instead, the woman of strength gives it away to those who cannot do what she can do. It takes a special person to not let the tension of our times harden our hearts to the needs of others, yet that is exactly what the church is called to do. To be a conduit of God’s charity, God’s love, to those most in need of it. And that is what we must do too.
Lastly, rather than focusing on charm and beauty, traits this world still prizes in women, the woman of strength fears the Lord. I think this is a phrase that is easily misunderstood. I don’t think we’re supposed to be afraid of God, as though God were akin to a bully beating us up and stealing our milk money. I think the fear of the Lord needs to be understood in two ways. First, we don’t fear anything but God. That means people can make fun of what we wear or how we look but we shouldn’t be afraid of them. They are, after all, creatures like us, not the creator. And, the fear we have of God is more like respect or awe for a God who brought us into the world and could take us out but, instead, gives us a million notes of love throughout the day. The woman of strength, the church, is therefore called to notice and give thanks for the many ways God sends us these notes of love without feeling entitled to them. We are to be a people who give thanks for everything that we have.
Now, let’s go back to that first point, that the woman of strength works hard. But what are we to be working for? We are to work to build up the kingdom of God, to help ourselves and others develop a relationship with this God of whom we have awe and who calls us to charity to others. I think that’s what connects this reading to the gospel. The point of the gospel isn’t that heaven is made up of venture capitalists who make a lot of money by risky investments that pay off, though there are some who have interpreted this passage that way. If so, no one listening to Jesus’ message would have been saved. Jesus’ audience was scandalized when rich Zacchaeus wanted to join the movement or when Jesus recruited the rich tax collector Levi. No, the point is that, when it comes to evangelization, we have to think like them. We can’t just bury our head in the ground and hope that we’ll be saved, because that is in itself a sin. It’s true to say that we have to be holy but we also have to reach out to those who are not in the household and win them for Christ. That’s the hard work the church is called to do, winning souls for salvation.
It’s hard to be Lady Wisdom, the woman of strength as the church is analogized this week, in this world at this time. People see talking about religion as innately threatening. The coronavirus means people aren’t gathering in places where you can strike up a casual conversation. Heck even the idea of a casual conversation is frowned upon. And the leadership of the church isn’t helping either, with yet another scandal happening this week. Still, there is one person, one friend, that you can reach out to that wants...no needs....to hear the story of Jesus. Work hard this week, be charitable, tell them about an awe inspiring experience of God you had and then ask the Holy Spirit, the embodiment and inspiration of of Lady Wisdom to doubling your talent and finding our faith renewed and sustained.
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