Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
“Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women…who provided for them out of their resources.” This verse from today’s short gospel passage from Luke (8:1-3) gives us a peek into Jesus’ inclusiveness, traveling with women, along with the twelve named male apostles, as he went about ministering and preaching. We get a somewhat rare glimpse into the importance of women in Jesus’ ministry as Luke identifies several by name and also adds the detail, “many others” who were supporting and “providing for” Jesus and his followers. Who were these women?
Scripture scholars refer to them as “Galilean women.” Luke’s gospel later mentions “the women who had followed him from Galilee” (23:49). And today’s gospel passage specifically identifies three of them by name: Mary Magdalene (“from whom seven demons had gone out”), Joanna (“the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza”), and Susanna. We also know that at least some of these women accompanied Jesus to the end, witnessing his death and resurrection (Mary Magdalene and Joanna are specifically named again in Luke 24:10).
Besides the specific mention of Mary Magdalene being identified as one “from whom seven demons had gone out,” today’s gospel passage mentions that these women (plural) had been “cured of evil spirits and infirmities.” Clearly these women had experienced Jesus’ healing power, their lives had been changed, and they chose to dedicate their lives and resources (presumably their wealth) to Jesus and his ministry.
Elsewhere, in the Acts of the Apostles after Jesus’ ascension, we hear mention of unnamed women along with Mary, Jesus’ mother, and the named male apostles gathered in the upper room as part of the first community of believers: “All these devoted themselves in one accord to prayer, together with some women…” (Acts 1:14)
Acknowledging the role of these women in Jesus’ life and ministry challenges us, men and women alike, to model a similar inclusiveness of those considered on the margins of society. What gifts and resources might we, or those we consider “other,” have to offer in building community and furthering Jesus’ message of healing, forgiveness, and merciful love? May the many named and unnamed women who first walked with Jesus pray for us.
—Eileen Miller