The Bible on Steroids The Effect of Androcentrism on the Lectionary

Abstract

For many Catholics the most common encounter with the biblical witness is through the Lectionary. Questions arise about the method by which biblical passages are selected, the message conveyed by the content of the Lectionary readings, and the impact of the Lectionary on our appreciation of the role of women in salvation history. W hen I began to study the Bible as an undergraduate theology student, I was surprised to discover women in the Pauline texts who were leaders of house churches, missionaries, prophets, catechists, and deacons; women who were Paul’s coworkers, not his subordinates. However, my genuine delight at this discovery was eclipsed by a deeper question: why had I not heard of these women before? After some reflection, I came to the realization that I had spent too much time with my missalette and not enough time with my Bible. What I had experienced, and what all Catholics experience if they do not have significant extra-liturgical biblical encounters, was a scripturally mediated indoctrination into the Church’s anthropology of women. This anthropology says that women were created to be the helpers of men, especially in procreation, and that they are characterized by certain qualities that pertain to this role, such as passivity, receptivity, selflessness, and sensitivity to the needs of people (John Paul II, n. 18). Every woman, regardless of her actual life situation, is defined by the “two particular dimensions of the fulfillment of the female personality,” (John Paul II, n. 17), virginity and motherhood. While the Lectionary’s delivery of