The Women Who Followed

Where We Are

Friday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time. The evangelist Luke gives us a brief but extraordinary passage: a list of the women who traveled with Jesus and the Twelve, supporting the ministry from their own resources. In a culture that rarely named women in public records, Luke's decision to name Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna is revolutionary. These women were not passive observers; they were active partners in the mission, funding and sustaining the itinerant movement that would change the world. Paul teaches the Corinthians about the resurrection of the dead, the foundation on which all Christian hope rests.

The Word

"He was making a journey through the cities and towns, preaching and evangelizing the kingdom of God. And the Twelve were with him, and also certain women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, who is called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had departed, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others who were ministering to him from their own resources" (Luke 8:1-3). Luke names these women with the same care he gives the apostles. They are not decoration in the background; they are named witnesses whose generosity makes the mission possible.

Today's Full Readings

First Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:12-22

Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 17:1, 6-7, 8, 15

Gospel — Luke 8:1-3

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Reflect

This is one of the most overlooked passages in the Gospels, yet it reveals something essential about Jesus's ministry. Women were not just passive recipients of his teaching; they were active participants in his mission. They traveled with him, funded the ministry, and were named alongside the Twelve.

Mary Magdalene is described as the one "from whom seven demons had departed." Her gratitude for liberation drove her to follow Jesus from Galilee to the cross to the empty tomb. She is the first witness of the resurrection, chosen by Jesus to announce the most important news in history.

Joanna is fascinating: the wife of Herod's steward. She is connected to the very court that executed John the Baptist and would later mock Jesus at his trial. Yet she left the comfort of Herod's palace to follow an itinerant rabbi. Her conversion represents the Gospel's power to reach even the halls of political power.

"Ministering to him from their own resources" is a quiet bombshell. Jesus, the Son of God, allowed himself to be financially supported by women. He who fed five thousand with five loaves was himself fed by the generosity of his followers. This is humility incarnate.

Paul's teaching on resurrection adds depth: "If Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty." These women who supported Jesus's ministry were investing in the resurrection. Their resources funded the mission that would change the world.

Living It

Recognize the unsung supporters in your community: the people who fund, organize, cook, clean, and enable ministry without recognition or applause. They are the Joannas and Susannas of your parish. Thank one of them today, specifically and sincerely.

Reflect on how you support God's work. Not everyone is called to preach or to stand in the spotlight. Some are called to minister from their resources, their time, their quiet labor behind the scenes. All are essential, and the kingdom of God advances as much through generosity as through preaching.

Like Mary Magdalene, let your gratitude for what God has freed you from fuel your service. The deeper the healing, the deeper the devotion. She followed because she had been delivered from seven demons, and her freedom became her vocation.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you allowed yourself to be supported by women who loved you. Give us the same humility to receive and the same generosity to give. Thank you for Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and the many unnamed ones who funded the Gospel with their own resources. May we follow their example of quiet, faithful service. Amen.

Today's reflection draws from Luke 8:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 15:12-22 (CPDV), per the Ordo Lectionum Missae.