Three Wise Women

This week in church the gospel centred around the birth of Jesus in a manger, specifically the visit of the three wise men… were there three or did they just bring three gifts? The priest told a rather funny story, where he put a different spin on things; was Mary given the receipt of the gifts; gold, myrrh and frankincense, so she could return them in exchange for something more practical? Because gifts such as these would’ve been useless in the care of a child. And what if it had been three wise women? He was sure they would have brought, gifts that were more sensible- formula, diapers and most importantly, casserole to last a week at least because Mary would be in no state to cook for her family. The entire church laughed because this is true, women think differently when it comes to situations such as these, we are simply more adept here, but this does not negate the role of men- we are what we are in varying life situations. Let’s go one step further and imagine for a minute if it had been three wise women who were led by a star seeking the baby Jesus. The bible is masculine in tone, written by men so the roles of women and by extension, Mary being the bearer of the saviour, was softened if not relegated. Women were seen as the providers of life, a powerful role in itself, but not often the most lauded in historical and biblical societies. What if women had taken a prominent role in the way the bible was written? What if Mary Magdalene actually had written a scripture? There are rumours to that effect. What if, what if… the origin of the catholic church stems from paganism and the worship of the divine feminine, women were leaders, but as with everything relating to history, the evidence of this was gradually erased from its narrative, pushing women a backseat in this new religion. We see it in the church set up today, it is rare to see a female priest, I don’t think I have ever seen one, women ascend only so high but are not conferred the role of the divine, so to speak, as their male counterparts despite the role of Mary in the salvation of humanity.

Maybe if the bible stories were written by more women that might have been a key theme even more highlighted. The world might be a different place, humanity and all that shapes us would be different. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps. But remember, if it were three wise women, Mary sure as hell would’ve been given diapers, formula, casserole and then some because as women we move differently. Random thoughts eh…

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