A Nod to the Women Prophets of Cooperation

Christmas is about Jesus. Along the way, however, there is a whole cast of smaller roles that work together to cooperate with the divine plan. Elizabeth fits this description. She is someone who collaborates with God’s plan in conjunction with Mary, her cousin. She might almost be called a prophet in the biblical sense of the term. Prophets cooperate with people and with God; in fact, they function as a bridge between the two and are ready to be of service when called upon by one side or the other. Prophets are intermediaries, and in this Sunday’s readings both Elizabeth and Mary help to prepare us for the Christmas season.

Can you name any women prophets from the Bible? In the Hebrew Scriptures, five women receive that title or role. Miriam, Moses’ sister, leads the women in song and praise after crossing the Red Sea (Ex 15:20-21). In the book of Judges, Deborah functions as a prophet when she delivers the word of God to Barak (Jgs 4:6– 7). Isaiah’s wife is not mentioned by name but is referred to as a prophetess (Is 8:3). Huldah the prophet delivers official and weighty oracles to King Josiah of Judah (2 Kgs 22:14-20). And the last one on this list, Noadiah, is called a prophet who inspired fear in the heart of Nehemiah by speaking boldly against him (Neh 6:10-13). Women can be and are prophets in ancient Israelite traditions.

One key function to the office of prophecy is to advocate God’s purpose to a people. The converse is also true; prophets often bring the people’s needs before God, a role shared by Israel’s priests. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Elizabeth recognizes God’s plan working through Mary and articulates this with hospitality and praise. Elizabeth is said to be filled with the holy Spirit and cries out with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:41-42). She takes on the role of a prophet, speaking with a clear voice and loudly announcing that something special is happening within and through Mary. In turn, Mary will respond with her own canticle filled with prophetic words that are divinely inspired. As these two women support each other through their unique pregnancies, they happen to be communicating the signs of the times. Their two sons, likewise, will carry forth God’s plan for all.

Elizabeth’s words from today’s Gospel are recited daily in the prayer of the rosary: “Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” Not only is Mary remembered for generations, but Elizabeth’s words are also memorialized in the communal and private devotion of the faithful. The power behind their story rests in returning to their beginnings, small and humble. That’s the example the faithful today can follow and discover a source of pride.

The faithful today can trust that our own small lives have a role to play as well. This echoes the little ways through which God consistently desires to humble the rich and powerful as hinted in today’s first reading. “You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,” says the prophet Micah, “too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel” (Mi 5:1).

Bethlehem is overlooked, a small outpost from Jerusalem. Elizabeth, too, holds a minor role in Luke’s Gospel and comes from a minor town in Judah. Bethlehem becomes the throne of grace for all the world, while Elizabeth and Mary give voice to these divine subtleties with their prophetic words. The two cousins and the small village are now remembered forever, they have become great inspirations for those who hold on to the faith of this Christmas mystery. May this inspire in us a renewed effort to find prophets who cooperate with God’s unfolding plan even today within the people that we tend to overlook.