March 8 - Free from Rags and Linen

Towels I used for my talk, from left to right: a kitchen rag, a linen cloth, and a micro fiber towel.

By Magdalena I.García

Yesterday was “Celebrate the Gifts of Women Sunday” in church, so we had a special, bilingual liturgy that involved many of our women of all ages in leadership. We even included Sunday School girls, who shared how money from a recent fundraiser was used to buy chickens, a sheep and a goat for poor families in Third World countries through the Heifer International. I was off the hook on preaching, but I felt I should say something during announcements time about the nature of the celebration, so here is what I did: an object talk for everyone, instead of just for children, using three towels (a kitchen rag, a linen cloth, and a micro fiber towel). Here is more or less what I said:

“This towel (I held up the kitchen rag) reminds us that there was a day and age when women in general were considered no better than a kitchen rag: fit only for household chores. Unfortunately, even today there are societies that hold such a view of women, and limit them to the domestic realm. And worse yet, there are women, even right here in the US, who have such low self-esteem that they continue to believe that they don’t deserve to be treated better than a kitchen rag and, therefore, tolerate all forms of abuse.

“This towel (I held up the linen cloth) reminds us that there was also a day and age when the opposite was true: women in general were valued only for their physical appearance. Unfortunately, even today society continues to have such expectations of women. It’s no wonder that the cosmetics and fashion industry are so prosperous. And worse yet, there are many women who continue to believe that their worth is tied to their beauty, and who submit their bodies to all kinds of abuse.

“But this towel (I help up the micro fiber towel) reminds us that a new day has dawned, one where women are valued for their gifts and treated as partners. This is a micro fiber, multi-purpose towel. It can be used every day and anywhere. It’s appropriate for all kinds of tasks, from the house, to the car, to the office, to the church. It’s soft but not fragile. It’s strong but not rough. It’s beautiful but not useless. May we renew our commitment today to continue working together to build a better world, one where both women and men are valued, and where we work side by side as partners in God’s service.”