Will you respect the dignity of every human being? – the final question presented to candidates for Holy Baptism in our Episcopal Church. And always the final question to each of us every time we renew our Baptismal vows.
As we enter this Advent season in the church, we look forward to the coming again of Jesus into our midst – Jesus the Prince of Peace, the one who bestows justice, the one who instills and honors dignity.
And I think of Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. Elizabeth, barren, and aging and most likely dismissed and disrespected for years. I think of her despair, her embarrassment, her humiliation in a world where the meaning and purpose of a woman’s life was for this alone – to give birth in a time and place where men defined and ruled her life. So I share with you some thoughts about Elizabeth from “Soul Sisters: Women in Scripture Speak to Women Today” by Edwina Gately and Louis Glanzman.
“How did it feel, Elizabeth, to hear… the whispers of the women – your sisters – trapped too in a system encircling them in iron boundaries of appropriate behavior? Did you sense their pity as the glanced your way… Did you flinch, Elizabeth, before your husband’s eyes… Did you feel a Defect, Elizabeth?…
“But, where you once whispered prayers to prove your worth through pregnancy, now women’s voices rise a little louder to claim their own dignity just as they are – standing defiant on their own two feet against the definition of history… That time was not for you, Elizabeth… God alone intervened for you, Elizabeth… You only waited… as women do. And the miracle came about… right in the heart of the system, you denied them their condemnation.
“Woman – you rose and swelled in spite of the improbability, the impossibility. And you left them aghast and babbling… it was you, Elizabeth, who spoke aloud… declaring the name of your son. He is John… You who heard the voice of God in silence – now spoke it aloud, And no one, Elizabeth, dared rebuke you, Soul Sister.” (“Soul Sisters” pp. 1)
Elizabeth bore a son, she rose and swelled, physically, yes, but with all the dignity of womanhood and wisdom and thanksgiving and faith and love she could muster. May each of us reach out our hands in love and care – may each of us respect the dignity of our sisters and every human being around the corner and around the world.
Submitted by Jennifer Kenna