{"id":1958,"date":"2011-12-08T12:35:44","date_gmt":"2011-12-08T18:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/?p=1958"},"modified":"2026-02-26T13:54:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:54:11","slug":"sing-blessed-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/2011\/12\/08\/sing-blessed-women\/","title":{"rendered":"sing, blessed women"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have memories of my grandma embarrassing me in church when I was a little girl.\u00a0 She would sing really loud and off-key.\u00a0 I couldn’t hear the choir or the piano; I just heard my grandma blurting out hymns like she didn’t care what others thought.\u00a0 It didn’t make sense to me.\u00a0 Being my bold little self, I remember telling her so.\u00a0 In her smiley, matter-of-fact way she would respond: “The Bible says make a joyful noise unto the Lord, it doesn’t say that it has to sound pretty.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Today, December 8, is the 13th anniversary of my grandmother’s death. It is also the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.\u00a0 Today my heart honors and praises God for the power of two women who have taught me how to sing “yes” to God with the joyful song of my life.<\/p>\n

I am amazed, today, that the psalm I most associate with my grandma is part of the liturgical readings:<\/p>\n

Sing to the LORD a new song,<\/em>
\nfor he has done wondrous deeds;<\/em>
\nHis right hand has won victory for him,<\/em>
\nhis holy arm.<\/em>
\nThe LORD has made his salvation known:<\/em>
\nin the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.<\/em>
\nHe has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness<\/em>
\ntoward the house of Israel.<\/em>
\nAll the ends of the earth have seen<\/em>
\nthe salvation by our God.<\/em>
\nSing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;<\/em>
\nbreak into song; sing praise.<\/em> -Psalm 98<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

My grandmother wasn’t a Catholic; she was a faithful Lutheran woman.\u00a0 I don’t remember her ever talking about Mary and showing any images of her beyond the ones in Christmas scenes. Still, her faith and “yes” to God, like Mary’s, helped Goodness come into the world.<\/p>\n

The matriarch of my big family and my rural neighborhood, my Grandmother, was a woman who had a wide open home and big, hospitable arms.\u00a0 She raised 10 children on a farm in Northeast Iowa and her maternal nature extended into the next two generations.\u00a0 In her home, children could play and farmers and neighbors could stop by for lunch and snacks.\u00a0 Myself, my siblings, my cousins and the other neighbor children were empowered.\u00a0 We would get help with our homework, collect nickels and pennies in payment for chores and learn how to cook.\u00a0 The house usually smelled like bread and soup and a quilting frame frequently took the place of the dining room table.\u00a0 The quilts she sewed were mission quilts<\/a>\u00a0and we knew that they were going to keep someone poor warm in a far-away land. Prayer books and Bibles were in every room.\u00a0 In closets there were boxes of Bibles and other treasures waiting to be given away.\u00a0 The home was warm and cozy and no stomach could ever feel hungry.<\/p>\n

Like St. Paul, Grandma wrote important letters.\u00a0 She would send cards and notes to everyone she knew for every occasion.\u00a0 Tucked into every card were Bible verses that she hoped the recipient\u00a0would later look up and study: Psalm 129, 1 Corinthians 13, Philippians 2, Psalm 98.\u00a0 Her practical, generous loving Gospel witness steered many toward faith and trust in God.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the mystery of faith the power of another woman’s “yes” to God’s goodness lives on and changes lives.\u00a0 Our mother Mary was amazingly pure with Love and Light. Poor and young, she bowed to the mystery and allowed God’s might to come into her, be birthed through her and bring the universe to redemption.\u00a0 What she said “yes” to continues to unfold in women today, who sing “yes” to God and let God’s will be done in them.<\/p>\n

Like Mary and my grandma, I seek to be the woman\u00a0I am\u00a0called to be. I wonder what particular mission I must do, how I must birth life, how I need to listen, how I need to serve and obey.\u00a0 I am grateful for the witness of Mary, the mother of God, and my beloved grandmother who remind me that my body is sacred and holds great potential for the spreading of God’s love.\u00a0 Because they said “yes” I have been formed to share and simply give all I can.<\/p>\n

In all of our lives and in every place, women continue to sing joyful praise.\u00a0 Amazingly, diverse languages, tunes and rhythms somehow unite into harmony that helps free us all.\u00a0\u00a0 Thanks be to God for the witness, the power, the love.\u00a0 May God bless women everywhere who work so hard to be free so they may sing more loudly and joyfully, even if it seems out of tune.\u00a0 May God help us all, women and men, sing our own joyful song!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

This is Mary’s song:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;<\/em><\/p>\n

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.<\/em><\/p>\n

For he has looked upon his handmaid\u2019s lowliness;<\/em><\/p>\n

behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Mighty One has done great things for me,<\/em><\/p>\n

and holy is his name.<\/em><\/p>\n

His mercy is from age to age<\/em><\/p>\n

to those who fear him.<\/em><\/p>\n

He has shown might with his arm,<\/em><\/p>\n

dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones<\/em><\/p>\n

but lifted up the lowly.<\/em><\/p>\n

The hungry he has filled with good things;<\/em><\/p>\n

the rich he has sent away empty.<\/em><\/p>\n

He has helped Israel his servant,<\/em><\/p>\n

remembering his mercy,<\/em><\/p>\n

according to his promise to our fathers<\/em><\/p>\n

to Abraham and to his descendants forever.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 –Luke 1: 46-55<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I have memories of my grandma embarrassing me in church when I was a little girl.\u00a0 She would sing really loud and off-key.\u00a0 I couldn’t hear the choir or the piano; I just heard my grandma blurting out hymns like she didn’t care what others thought.\u00a0 It didn’t make sense to me.\u00a0 Being my bold...","protected":false},"author":4071079,"featured_media":1974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[115341],"tags":[10051,4256,214,401,903465,7816,4142106,15233,39932,534106,1376582,3785,24737,1907037,2974019,116,30351,14398902,1494,598,71129077],"series":[698756626],"class_list":["post-1958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equity-and-justice-equity-and-justice","tag-bible","tag-catholicism","tag-christianity","tag-faith","tag-generousity","tag-god","tag-grandmas-wisdom","tag-grandmas","tag-hospitality","tag-immaculate-conception","tag-joyful-noise","tag-love","tag-mary","tag-mary-mother-of-jesus","tag-marys-song","tag-religion","tag-service","tag-solemnity-of-the-immaculate-conception-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary","tag-spirituality","tag-women","tag-yes-to-the-lord","series-messy-jesus-business"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/screen-shot-2011-12-08-at-11-48-57-am.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/feed\/podcast\/messy-jesus-business","embedCode":"

sing, blessed women<\/a><\/blockquote>