I can remember when I first became aware of the strong female character.  Of course I had encountered it before in my mother, and the later Disney princesses–Ariel, Belle, Pocahontas–definitely broke the mold set by Snow White, Sleeping  Beauty and Cinderella, but these examples of strong women were so subtle.  Some time between kindergarten and the fifth grade, I met Princess Leia from Star Wars.  I remember my dad finding it on TV and settling down to watch “A New Hope.”  I remember her first appearance in the movie, and when Darth Vader identifies her as Princess Leia, I distinctly remember thinking, “She’s not a princess.”  She was too tough, too spirited.  She didn’t have a ballgown or even a crown on unless you counted the buns on the side of her head.  She was more political than she was pretty in my young eyes, and therefore, she could not be a princess.  But as I watched, George Lucas kept insisting that she was indeed a princess, and I just had to accept it.  And as I watched the movies and grew up, I realized that Princess Leia is not only a princess but a kick ass princess.    Here was a woman who was just as deadly with a blaster as Han Solo and could pull that off in a dress.  Here was a woman who occasionally did need to be rescued but could help in her own rescue mission.  Here was a woman who very blatantly showed me that just because you were a princess didn’t mean you had to be weak.  You can wear the pretty dress and be a force to be reckoned with intellectually and physically.  Femininity is not a woman’s weakness; it should be her strength.

Men are often frightened by strong women.  Strong women intimidate them because a woman using her feminine strength for evil can emmasculate a man, but that’s not what this blog is about.  I believe men and strong women can learn a lot from Han and Leia’s relationship.  When Leia falls in love with Han she doesn’t give up any of her strength or independence.  She can still beat the bad guy and inspire Han to be a hero.  Through the course of their relationship, Leia learns that letting a man in doesn’t make her weak.  By accepting his help, she is being honest and open about that fact that we all need help sometimes.  Being strong isn’t about never needing help.  There is something strong about recognizing the need and being able to ask and accept it.  And Han, slightly put off at first but very intrigued, learns that just because he’s got an woman that can tie her own shoe laces and open her own doors doesn’t make him less of a man.  In fact, I think that makes him more of a man because a strong woman chose to become vulnerable to him and no one else.

“Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman.”  1 Corinthians 11:11-12

much love–char

I think the Crucifixion and Resurrection and the role women play in it is fascinating.  Its why I started writing about women in the Gospel to begin with.  I wanted to get to this point in the story but wanted to see how women played out in Christ’s life before looking at how they related in his death.

Throughout the Crucifixion all four of the Gospels record that the women who have been with Christ throughout his ministry stay by his side even in death.  In fact, John is the only Gospel that records any disciple being present at the Crucifixion.  We can’t blame the disciples too much, however, because they were at a greater risk to be arrested because they were men who were close to Christ.  Women who were close to Christ were less of a threat because of their perceived lower status in society.

What I love, love, love about Christ is that even in death he looks down and has compassion on those he loves.  John tells of how Christ looked down from the cross and saw his mother mourning and had compassion on her.  He charged John with taking care of his mother since he would no longer be on earth to care for her himself.  In Luke 23:26-31, Jesus is being led to his death and followed by women mourning his death.  Knowing what is coming for them and not focusing on his current situation, Christ tells them not to mourn for him and warns them of coming tragedy.  I love how in the moment Christ has every right to think of and pity himself, he doesn’t.  He doesn’t focus on his present earthly struggle, but still takes care of those around him.

Even after the his death, the women follow his body to see where it is laid to rest.  After the Sabbath, several women (the Gospels differ on how many and who exactly went) go to the tomb to anoint the body with spices, but found the stone rolled away from the tomb and angels proclaiming Jesus had risen.  The angels told the women to spread the good news to the disciples, appointing the women with the Gospel message.  Women were the first entrusted to share that Christ had risen from the dead!  What I find even more interesting is that Mark and Luke both record that Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene!  I have no idea why Christ chose to make his first post-resurrection appearance to a woman.  I like to believe that he did this to make a statement that women are just as important to him as men.  While seems to treat women with more gentleness throughout his time on earth, he treats them with the same respect as men and gives them the same opportunity.  This sends a message to the world that if women are worthy enough to be the first entrusted with the Gospel and the first to see the resurrected Christ, they are worthy of respect from men.

Much love–Char

The story in Matthew 26:1-8 is fairly well known to those familiar to Christ’s life.  Jesus is nearing the end of his life, and he is dining at Simon the leper’s house when a woman pours expensive ointment from an alabaster jar on Christ’s head.  The English Standard Version (my Bible translation of choice) says the disciples were idignant towards her action.  They thought she had wasted the perfume, that it would have been better to sell the ointment and given the money to the poor.  This is a noble use for the ointment.  Christ preached often on helping the poor, but the disciples have got their priorities mixed up again, focusing too much on the here and now and not enough on the eternal.  Jesus scolds them, showing them how the woman’s use for the ointment was a much higher calling than theirs.  Unlike the disciples, the men closest to Christ, this woman (John 12 identifies the woman as Mary, the sister of Lazurus) had her priorities straight.  Yes, the poor are important, and we should take care of them, but God was among them and not for much longer.  Mary was able to see this when the disciples couldn’t.  Mary was able to appreciate the beauty and worth of the ointment and willing to give it to God, and Christ rewarded her for it by ensuring that her love and awe of him would be forever remembered in the Gospel.

Much love–Char