When John Adams was in Philadelphia to construct a new country that would become the United States his wife, Abigail, wrote to him pleading “remember the ladies.” I wonder if there was a Mrs. Luke who told the third evangelist something similar because in his writings women are prominently featured. Only Luke records that “accompanying Jesus were the Twelve and some women,” all together as disciples. Frequently in Luke’s gospel a parable which speaks of a man acting with be paired with one of a woman acting — the shepherd looks for a lost sheep, a women for a lost coin. Luke has the domestic scene of Jesus eating with his friends Martha and Mary. And, of course, Luke highlights the role of Mary. He reports on the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the scene in the Upper Room awaiting the Holy Spirit at Pentecost where the Jesus movement centers around Mary. All of which is a reminder that the Church needs to do a better job at giving women opportunities to give their gifts to the great task of the Kingdom of God.
