St. Luke brought out the role of women in early Christianity.

Friday, 9/18/15

While Matthew, Mark and John hardly mention the women followers of Jesus, St. Luke was strong on bringing out their role at the birth of Christianity.

In the America I grew up in, women were more restricted than they are now. My sisters would never phone a boy, while now those kind of calls give life to the cell phone industry.

On this matter, I like telling one of my old Korean stories. For six years, from 1954 to 1960, I was the only foreigner in Yang Yang town. We had no electricity; but it was like living in the Middle Ages, and I found it great.

On my home leave in 1961 I had such an exciting time that I felt lonely after I went back to Yang Yang, I spent hours pacing back and forth on our hill top.

I had been back three month when I was visited by Miss Pak, the English teacher at the Boys’ High School. She told me that she needed to work hard for five years, while she sent her little sisters through school. Till then, she said, she could have no romance, but she would come to me each Saturday morning for English conversation.

Those Saturday mornings became my lifeline, and after six months, Miss Pak asked me if she should become a Catholic. I could not use Religious instructions as an excuse for seeing more of her; so I told her, “You must decide that for yourself.”

Her come back let me see how women were regarded in Korea. Angry with me, she pointed out, “You are the man. Don’t you know that men must make all the decisions?”

America Magazine just carried an article by John Kerry in which he wrote about a new Religion-Awareness  Department in the State Department. He said that among other things the department works at promoting further awareness of the dignity of women.