Most of know the familiar story of young Mary hurrying to visit with Elizabeth upon hearing that Elizabeth was pregnant, but Susan and Jessica played the roles so well that I could feel the tension between joy and fear for both of them.
The drama has stayed with me for a couple of months now, and this past week, our Wednesday night Scripture group engaged the story again in Luke’s Gospel.
There is so much in this short story: first of all that the story is told at all is miracle. Two named women and their conversations isn’t the usual fodder for Bible stories. It’s usually the man’s story we hear, but this time Zechariah is struck dumb, so we hear the story from the mouths of two women. Selah!
Two pregnant women—one a young unmarried teenager, a maiden; the other a wizened old crone well past child bearing years—coming together to share each others stories, looking for validation from another woman, not from a man. And tell their story, they do! Spirit shows up, and these two women lift their voices and prophesy loudly! This isn’t the shy, demure little Mary hiding behind her veil—it’s a strong lively full-bodied Mary, virgin, one-in-herself, knowing who she is and believing what she’s heard with everything within her. And this isn’t a quiet old woman waiting for the death angel to whisk her off to her heavenly home. She’s a noisy old coot hooting out her welcome and blessing to the young maiden coming to visit. They both recognize the work of God in their lives and they celebrate with great joy.
One of the comments I’ve read talks about women who “hear one another into speech.” For too long women’s voices have been silenced, especially in religious and political circles, but not this time. Louise Schottroff comments, “The two pregnant women beat the drum of God’s world revolution.” Elizabeth Johnson writes, “This experience of female solidarity is unequaled in its ability to support women’s struggles for equal justice and care, for themselves and for others. Whether one sees Elizabeth and Mary as ‘women of Spirit birthing hope’, or as the Spirit-approved ‘pregnant crone and the unmarried, pregnant bride suspected of adultery,’ their meeting is powerful and potentially empowering.”
I’m glad they had each other, and I’m so grateful for the women friends I’ve had over the last 15 years. I’ve had many Mary’s and Elizabeth’s in my life. And I’ve had a number of them “hear me into speech”. We have validated each other, and we’ve “mid-wifed” each other into new places in our own lives. Thank you for giving so much to me.
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