Gender Inequaility

Good morning, happy Saturday and blessings.
 
Tomorrow Sunday we will have our Community Masses in English & ASL ‪at 10:00 am‬ and in Spanish ‪at 12:00 pm‬. We will be remembering Lent in the context of gender equality, celebrating International Women's Day
 
Following the gospel of John 3: 1-17 we will be discussing the challenge Jesus presented to Nicodemus to be born again as a new creature. The story of Nicodemus is a teaching of self-assessment, recognizing that I am wrong and that I should approach Jesus and then listen to him and make a change in my life. That is, we can see a true repentance that resulted in a change of life. Curiously, the first time Nicodemus comes to Jesus, he does it at night and in secret. For some reason he didn't want to be seen talking to Jesus. Remember that he was a Pharisee, and a magistrate member of the Sanhedrin, the Court that judged Jesus and where Nicodemus practically defended him. Already in the third and last appearance of Nicodemus (John 19:39) it takes place when Jesus has already died on the cross and this in broad daylight dares to go to Pilate to claim the body of Jesus to bury him. Definitely here we see his change of life.
 
If we are to leave our Pharisee-like lifestyle and be transformed as Nicodemus was, we must learn from him. First, we must have a heart to know God. Then we must accept how we too fall short by repenting of our own sins and recognize our need for a Savior. Lastly, we must remove our faith and trust in ourselves and put them in Jesus and declare Him Lord of our life. We must surrender and do so daily.
 
The context of tomorrow's Mass will be an invitation to repent of a social sin that we don't talk about much: gender inequality. Repentance is not an opportunity to cry but rather to change our lives. And if there is something we must change; it is our male chauvinism ideology of subordination of women and male supremacy. In other words, we must begin to build a Lent with gender equality where we rescue and protect the feminine image of God.  Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender. My sisters and brothers, gender inequality is a crime and it’s also a sin.
 
The invitation for tomorrow is going to be that like Nicodemus we must change our lives. And then we need to continue fighting inside and outside the church for gender equality. The question to ponder is: how is it that I with my actions valid and promote the sin of gender inequality? See you in church tomorrow to continue celebrating a Radical Lent. Blessings Fr. Luis +