Rev. Molly F. James, PhD
DFMS Noonday Prayer via Zoom
June 17, 2021
May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point us to the living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Today we remember Marina/Marinos the Monk, a 5th Century monastic. Marina was born as Miriam. Her faith was strong and at the age of marriage, she chose a monastic life rather than marriage. She shaved her head, doned male clothes, and joined her father at a monastery. It is unclear whether Marina was simply rejecting marriage, desiring to live as a monastic, but there were no convents, or truly needed to live life out as man because that matched his internal identity. The intrigue of this story could easily make Marina one of these people to add to your list for the parlor game of “If you could have dinner with five people, dead or alive, who would they be and why?” Even if we cannot know or fully understand the circumstances of Marina’s life, I do believe that the story provides us with much food for thought and opportunities for reflection on our own lives.
I believe that there is a fundamental invitation here for us to think about identity. In what ways or times in our lives have we felt the need to be like Marina? When have we felt the need to hide some essential piece of our identity in order to fit in with a community or group? Of course, there is a certain amount of that we do all the time. We don’t share intimate personal details with a seatmate on an airplane the way we would at our best friend’s kitchen table. Having boundaries and knowing what information we should share and where is an important life skill. Like Marina, we have likely had times when holding back some piece of personal information was what kept us safe. As the saying goes, “Don’t bleed with sharks.” It is okay to be protective of ourselves, and to be discerning about how fully we share about ourselves in the communities of which we are a part. Being able to share the truth of who we are requires trust. So it is okay to be sure that is there before we open up. Especially if we find ourselves in communities like Susanna did in our first reading today - a situation where the deck is stacked against us and no matter what we say or do, we cannot convince those in power and authority of the truth of our experience.
That’s one side of the invitation - for us to reflect on how we navigate our own identities, particularly in situations where we do not have power. The times in our lives when we are Marina. The other side of it is to think about the times in our lives when we are the monks or Marina’s father. What do we do when we are the ones with power and authority? When we are the ones responsible for creating the culture and environment. The monks assumptions about Marina and their rigid enforcement of how they believed things should be meant that Marina spent 10 years as a beggar at the monastery’s gate because they erroneously assumed Marina had impregnated a woman - only to learn upon Marina’s death that was a biological impossibility. So there is an important question here for us. When have we been like the monks? When have we been like the elders in Susanna’s story? When have we made assumptions about someone’s identity that have cost them dearly? When have we lost out on someone’s wisdom, insight, perspective because we were too quick to judge, too rigid in our assumptions, and too stuck in our own worldview? I would guess that we have many stories - from small moments when we were just moving too quickly to pay full attention, to big moments when deeply embedded ideas have cost us an opportunity or a relationship. Hopefully, today we have a reminder that it does not always have to be that way.
We have the opportunity and possibility - especially when we are in positions of power to shift the culture. We have the opportunity to transform a culture from rigid to open. We have the opportunity to foster community where people feel comfortable to bring as much of their identity as they choose. Where the realities of disclosure are decided by individuals themselves and not by those in power. Where diverse perspectives and experiences are honored, and where we are consistently open to learning and change.
It is my hope and prayer that together we can find more and more ways to join with God in creating a world where people do not feel the need to hide the truth of their identity. A world where our diversity is recognized as a source of beauty and strength. Amen.
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