Homily for the
33d Sunday of
Ordinary Time
Nov. 15, 2020
Prov 31: 10-31
Holy Name of Jesus,
Valhalla, N.Y.
“When one finds a worthy wife, her value is
far beyond pearls” (Prov 31: 10).
Our 1st reading today consists of 8 verses
excerpted from a passage of 22 verses at the very end of the Book of Proverbs,
a passage in praise of good wives.
The 1st readings on Sundays are chosen to go
along with the gospels. It might appear
that this reading about “a worthy wife” has nothing to do with Jesus’ parable
of the talents (Matt 25:14-30). On the
contrary: both the “worthy wife” and the
“faithful” servants carry out their responsibilities diligently.
What does the “worthy wife” do? She and her husband have bonded in a warm
relationship. He “entrusts his heart to her”
(31:11), and she “brings him good all the days of her life” (31:12). Nowadays we like to say that spouses ought to
be each other’s best friend, one’s other self, one’s soulmate. That’s akin to what Proverbs presents. The relationship between this wife and her
husband doesn’t rely upon superficialities:
“charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting” (21:30). Rather, it has a solid basis in their mutual
respect and appreciation.
2d, she diligently does her work. The complete, 22-verse passage presents her
mostly as a well-to-do housewife, appropriate for Jewish society hundreds of
years B.C. One of the verses not
included today, however, does speak of her as a businesswoman, selling her
cloth and other wares to the town merchants (31:24), and another verse speaks
of her “wisdom” and “kindly counsel” (31:26).
Thus she can be a model for the modern married woman who manages her
household, holds a job with responsibility, and is discreet, wise, and prudent.
3d, the “worthy wife” “reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy” (31:20). She’s not centered only on herself or her family. She’s concerned about the people of her town who aren’t well-off—and in pre-Christian Israel that meant the vast majority of people, whether they were humble artisans or, mostly, dirt-poor peasant farmers. She works for the common good by sharing her abundance with those less fortunate.
Finally, the clincher for this wife’s
worthiness, for the praise she merits, is that she “fears the Lord”
(31:30). This is her true beauty, the
source of her charm and her wisdom, the motivation for her diligence and good
works. “Fear of the Lord” in the
Scriptures doesn’t mean being scared or afraid, but, rather, “a reverential and
loving obedience to the will of God.”[1] She’s not at all like the servant in Jesus’
parable who buried his master’s money “out of fear” (Matt 25:25). She worships the Lord and keeps his
commandments. She serves him devoutly in
her daily work at home, in the marketplace, in her care for the poor, and in
her relationship with her husband.
All the qualities of this proverbial “worthy
wife” can be practiced by women today, including single women—who, altho they
don’t have husbands, ought to have close friends both male and female whom they
cherish and assist—and by men too:
faithful execution of one’s responsibilities, love for spouse and
family, concern for the poor, and devotion to God. All of us can be “good and faithful servants”
(Matt 25:21) who will merit the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ when he returns
on the Last Day to “settle accounts” with us (25:19).
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