Most of us know that today is Good Friday, the darkest day of this Lenten season leading up to Easter. But did you also know that today is the day of Annunciation���that is, the day the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her she would become pregnant with Jesus? This confluence will not happen again in any of our lifetimes. The next time the two dates collide will be 2157.

This paradox of the announcement and his birth and death coinciding has me thinking of Mary���s reaction to the events of those very different, but equally dramatic, days. Which has me thinking about how little we know about how the women of the Bible responded to things in general.

I���ve started an analysis of those named in the Bible for another project, and preliminary findings show there are a total of 2.087 people name in the Bible���269 (13%) women and 1,818 (87%) men. While I am still in the midst of research, it appears that more often than not, we hear about women only in the context of their patriarchal lineage (i.e., daughter of this man, wife of this man, mother of this man). We hear about them, not from them, and the bulk of the females named are obscure Old Testament genealogical references.

As we approach Easter, I can���t help but try to fill in the blanks surrounding the women who were with Jesus in his life and in his death. I miss their voices, and I mourn the loss of their stories, their silencing. I wish I could see Jesus through their eyes. Hear about him through their words.

We don���t have the option of re-writing the Bible to include more female voices, but we can seek out modern-day works that piece a feminine vision of Jesus together for us. To that end, I want to highlight two such resources that have helped me in that reconstruction process.

First, a book���Song of the Beloved: The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene by Lauri Lumby���that made its way into my hands at just the right time. I had almost finished it when my sister Angie was unexpectedly killed in a car accident last year. The timing was divine because this book had me relating to Jesus in the way Mary Magdalene did���as one who was intimately and instantly accessible and without all the damaging trappings that have attached themselves to Jesus in the years since he left the earth. I knew this book would give me fresh insight into Mary Magdalene. I didn't know that it would also help me get back in touch with the Jesus who came, not to create a religion, but to proclaim love, pure and simple. This book is great spiritual reminder, all wrapped up in a powerful story, full of historical interest, but mainly full of love that is best communicated through the storytelling that Lauri Ann Lumby does so well.

Second, a church service like none other. Easter in Memory of Her, hosted by Brigid���s Place and held at Houston���s Christ Church Cathedral, imagines the thoughts and prayers of the women surrounding Jesus, blending them with the music performed by singers from the Houston Chamber Choir and words written by Rice University professor April DeConick and Cathedral Canon Betty Adam. Through this groundbreaking service, held annually on the Saturday before Easter, I���ve developed a fuller, truer picture of Jesus just by seeing his crucifixion This year���s service will be held on Saturday, March 26 at 4 p.m. You will not regret opening yourself up to this unique look at the women who surrounded Jesus at the cross.

During Easter season and beyond, I would love to hear about how you make space for silenced voices to add to the way you experience holy mystery in your life.