MARTYRS: Myrrhbearers & Martians

Years ago, when I was younger and foolisher, I sat across from my pastor and said, “I believe in God. I consider myself a very faithful person. I pray. I go to church. I read the Bible. I believe Jesus is Lord. I just don’t believe He’s God.”

I expected that honest confession to bring about a terrific struggle with the priest. The gauntlet was thrown. Touché! Now, talk me into it!

He didn’t. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “It’s a giant leap of faith. It makes all the difference.”

Now that bothered me. It wasn’t at all what I expected and for weeks, at least until our next meeting, I struggled with his words and my unbelief. I really wanted to believe. I was scared of what he called the “giant leap of faith.”

In today’s Gospel lesson [Mark 15:43 – 16:8] we read about the women who went to the Tomb early in the morning to anoint the body of our Lord. Remember, Jesus had been hastily buried in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea with the help of the other secret disciple, Nicodemus. These two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, are included in the full list of Myrrhbearers, but generally this day is understood as the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women.

Other than those two men, here are the names of the Myrrhbearers that we know:

The Virgin Mary, who is called “the mother of James and Joses” (sons of Joseph by a previous marriage; she was therefore their step-mother);

Mary Magdalene;

Mary, the wife of Clopas;

Joanna, wife of Chouza, a steward of Herod Antipas;

Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee;

Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus; and Susanna.

As for the names of the rest of them, the evangelists have kept silence (Matthew 27:55-56; 28:1-10. Mark 15:40-41).

Who were these women disciples? They were women who had received of our Lord’s beneficence — and left their own homeland and from then on followed after Him. They ministered unto Him out of their own possessions, even until His crucifixion and entombment; and afterwards, neither losing faith in Him after His death, nor fearing the wrath of the Jewish rulers, they came to His sepulcher, bearing the myrrh-oils they had prepared to anoint His body. It is because of the myrrh-oils that these God-loving women brought to the tomb of Jesus that they are called Myrrh-bearers. [Source].

Of our Lord’s remaining 11 disciples (remember, Judas is now out of the picture) … of the remaining 11 disciples — all MEN — not one of them is listed as a Myrrhbearer. The men who had followed him when he’d said, “Come follow me;” the men who appear throughout the Gospel narratives … had abandoned him at the Crucifixion.

Now here we see a band of women disciples making their way toward the Tomb with only God knew what awaiting them.

This is important because, and the more astute among you are already aware of this: There is a big difference between Men and Women.

Now, at first, such an admission – there’s a big difference between men and women – may sound elementary and flippant. But, believe me, we live in crazy time where the world attempts to shake us from our understanding of reality.

Take, for instance, men. Men are all about doing.

Do this, did this, accomplished that … what next?

Women (you all know this) are about relationships.

This person, that child, my sister, mother-in-law, friend, etc.

etc.

etc.

Any priest could admit it’s true: Women and men even confess differently.

A man comes to Confession: “Did this, failed at this, accomplished this, working on this … oh, and uh, did that.”

The woman comes and, through a circular dialogue, intimates her shortcomings and struggles within the web of relationships in her life.

About 15 years ago, Dr John Gray published his best-selling book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Many of you, no doubt, are familiar with his writings regarding the differences in men and women in relationship. For instance …

[Remember: Men = Mars / Women = Venus.]

“When a Martian gets upset he never talks about what is bothering him. He would never burden another Martian with his problem unless his friend’s assistance was necessary to solve the problem. Instead he becomes very quiet and goes to his private cave to think about his problem, mulling it over to find a solution. When he has found a solution, he feels much better and comes out of his cave.

If he can’t find a solution then he does something to forget his problems, like reading the news or playing a game. By disengaging his mind from the problems of his day, gradually he can relax. If his stress is really great it takes getting involved with something even more challenging, like racing his car, competing in a contest, or climbing a mountain.” (p.30)

Or going fishing …

“When a Venusian becomes upset or is stressed … to find relief, she seeks out someone she trusts and then talks in great detail about the problems of her day. When Venusians share feelings of being overwhelmed, they suddenly feel better. This is the Venusian way.

On Venus sharing your problems with another actually is considered a sign of love and trust and not a burden. Venusians are not ashamed of having problems. Their egos are dependent not on looking ‘competent’ but rather on being in loving relationships. They openly share feelings of being overwhelmed, confused, hopeless, and exhausted. (p.31)

When a woman is stressed she instinctively feels a need to talk about her feelings and all the possible problems that are associated with her feelings. (p.36)

To feel better, women talk about past problems, future problems, potential problems, even problems that have no solutions.

[This leads to lots of frustration, on both sides, in marital relations. The man keeps listening for the part he’s supposed to fix. “What am I supposed to do?” The woman just wants him to listen. He may soon figure he’s not needed (to do anything) and lose interest, tune out — even walk away!]

The more talk and exploration, the better they [women] feel. This is the way women operate. To expect otherwise is to deny a woman her sense of self.” (p.36)

We see this represented in today’s Gospel. The women are on their way to the Tomb and talking. “And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?”

Men are different …

“A man under stress tends to focus on one problem and forget others …” (p.36)

A Venusian feels good about herself when she has loving friends with whom to share her feelings and problems. A Martian feels good when he can solve his problems on his own in his cave.” (p.31)

“Martians [on the other hand] talk about problems for only two reasons: they are blaming someone or they are seeking advice.” (p.37)

Compare today’s beautiful story of the women at the Tomb to that of Peter and John approaching the Tomb. They raced each other! They were men. It is not recorded that John and Peter, true to their nature, discussed anything on the way … they just tried to get there first!

(But, you see, they’d already heard the Tomb was empty.)

All this is to say, brothers and sisters, that the Lord knew what He was doing.

What we see here, even in our contemporary studies of human nature, is Eve being Eve and Adam being Adam … outside Paradise.

But in choosing to announce the Resurrection through the daughters of Eve, the Holy Myrrhbearers, we see the Annunciation in another light. Whereas earlier, a young Maiden had heard the words of the Archangel Gabriel in private; here, an Angel announces to the Mother of God and the faithful women disciples the Resurrection. The way to Paradise has been re-opened, for our Lord has destroyed death by Death. Go! Announce to the sons of Adam the New Day, the Resurrection.

And, they did …

*** A few weeks later, I met again with the priest. I didn’t bring up my struggle with unbelief, but he did, saying: “You know, something happened to those men. They were scared and hiding. And the next thing you know they are preaching the Gospel and risking — most of them losing — their lives proclaiming the Risen Lord. They were changed. God did that at the Empty Tomb.”

For the women who had sorrowfully gone to anoint the dead were transformed by a great joy and appointed to proclaim Life!

The men who had been hiding in their caves or secluded in their boats at sea were transformed into mighty preachers and martyrs of the Word!

As our first parents, through disobedience, found mortality to be their end …

Today the New Eve hears that her son, the New Adam, has conquered death and, by His glorious Resurrection, He has paved the way for the sons and daughters of the Church — you, me, yours and mine — to Paradise!

And that, my friends has made all the difference. Reborn from the Light of the Empty Tomb, men and women are changed.

That same courage; that same conviction and joy; that same Paradise is available to us all … if we but believe.

Christ is Risen!