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Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
1 Ephesians 5:21-33
Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Luke 13:18-21
S
UMMARY
The readings today speak of married life, which then becomes a reflection on
Christ and the Church. We are reminded to live in love as Christ loved us and the
church. The responsorial psalm reminds us that blessed are those who fear the
Lord and walk in his ways, as they shall eat the fruit of their handiwork and be fa-
vored. In the gospel message, Jesus tells the parables of the mustard seed and
of the yeast, reminding us that small things count.
R
EFLECTION
As I read today˅s reading, I was reminded of how, at first blush, even the revised
version always makes me bristle. I came to adulthood in the 60s, which marked
the first major advancement in decades for the advancement of women˅s rights
and equality. Because of the women˅s movement, wage discrimination laws
were enacted, and I received back pay as a result. As a further result, various
professions, including medicine and law, opened up to women, and I received a
scholarship for law school, taking my place in the rising percentage of women in
the law.
The women˅s rights movement affected my life considerably. So, for me the
reading has always struck me as misogynistic. Upon further reflection, and with
the realization that this reading emanated from far different times, I have reflected
on what I can cull from it and apply to my life and times. The reading speaks
about something familiar and yet mysterious, which is married life. Marriage, as I
have learned throughout 47 years of my marriage, is full of mysteries with must to
be learned. The new bond requires faith, courage, patience and endurance.
This, in turn, becomes a reflection on Christ and the Church. We are to live in
love, as Christ loved us and loved the church. From this perspective, we can
think about spouse, family, and the enduring love borne out of daily experience. I
also believe this reading can be construed as speaking not just to the family cre-
ated by man and wife, but also to the other families which we each create during
the course of our lives ˀ families of school friends, families of work friends,