feminine-genius

Am I a "feminist"?

This turn of events in Canada brings to mind a recent interview for U.S. Catholic (which may not have produced my best answers, but got me thinking.) First the latest item:

The Conservative government is taking an axe to Status of Women Canada, closing three-quarters of its regional offices and outraging critics in the process. Heritage Minister Bev Oda revealed Wednesday that 12 of the federal agency's 16 regional offices will be shut down by April 1.

The blow is part of a cost-cutting program announced in September that will see the agency lose $5-million from it's $23-million annual budget over two years. Status of Women Canada works to advance women's economic equality and human rights and eliminate violence against women.

Of course feminists are outraged, blah, blah, blah.

Liberal MP Maria Minna called the move “reprehensible.”

“Canadian women are still only earning 71 cents to every dollar earned by their male counterparts, more and more women are living in poverty, and we are still waiting for the government to create child-care spaces,” she said. With the closure of these regional offices, the government is taking away one of the very few remaining resources for women.”

Well, there are ways to help women other than handing them enormous sums of money to patch their wounds using methods that ignore the foundation of their problems. Rape crisis centres, lawyers, and child-care facilities are stop-gap measures that only leave the root causes unaddressed.

Thus, back to the interview, one of the questions was, "Do you consider yourself a feminist?" The answer, after much thought, was No, for the following reasons:

• "Feminism" as a term is loaded with thirty years of baggage that is difficult to sort out in the short amount of time (or space) that we're usually offered to present our world view. Rather than staking a claim about its meaning, let it go and we'll use other terms.
• The concept of "feminism" is to promote women's causes and interests, which of course vary wildly from radical feminists opinions to those of radical Muslims to those of many back-woods "build-a-god[dess]" clans.
• Holy Mother Church never sees the advancement of human dignity as a zero-sum game. When men purify themselves and live virtue, the effects spill over to everyone. Likewise, when women are freed to live authentically feminine lives, men and children benefit, as does the entire Mystical Body of Christ. The complementarity of the sexes teaches us that in the nuptial reality in which we all live and move and have our being, one cannot be myopic. For the sake of an apostolate, one can focus on one piece in the puzzle in order to strengthen its ability to "become itself," but ultimately we must all must keep the universal mission of mankind in mind.
• Specifically, one dark side of feminism has been to pit women against children, women against men, and women against women who don't share the same world view. Women must be bridges of unity and transparent images of the bride, who points mankind to the Bridegroom.

Let's drop "feminism" -- even "Christian feminism" and promote authentic femininity as a service to the world at large.

Mary: Queen of Peace

How touching to see the Holy Father visit the tiny Christian community at Ephesus, where Our Lady lived, and Saint Paul stayed a long while. Benedict spoke of the foundation of peace, for which we all yearn:

"From this edge of the Anatolian peninsula, a natural bridge between continents, let us implore peace and reconciliation, above all for those dwelling in the Land called 'Holy' and considered as such by Christians, Jews and Muslims alike: it is the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, destined to be the home of a people that would become a blessing for all the nations. Peace for all of humanity!  May Isaiah's prophecy soon be fulfilled: 'They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'

"We all need this universal peace," he added, "and the Church is called to be not only the prophetic herald, but even more, the 'sign and instrument' of this peace.  Against the backdrop of universal peace, the yearning for full communion and concord between all Christians becomes even more profound and intense.

The Church, remember, always offers the feminine paradigm for women, so this is a distinct and urgent call to women to be bridges of unity, "signs and instruments" of the peace for which all hearts yearn. Perhaps this Advent we can focus on the obstacles to our own peace, so that they can be overcome for our good and the good of the whole world.

Androgyny is not the answer

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is apologising for past comments, because, you know, women's feelings were hurt. Women have informed him that (despite his previous mis-statement) they are indeed the saviours of the Anglican Church, so he cannot go about pretending otherwise. And just because you've come in at the 11th hour and saved an entire institution from crumbling, it doesn't mean that you're not above pouting when it's not acknowledged, because to ignore heroic action is just plain mean.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised over recent comments he made about the role of women priests in the wake of new research which claims that they will "save the Church from sinking" in the future.

Analysis conducted by the University of Manchester shows that almost half of all priests to have been ordained in recent years have been women and with almost a quarter of male priests currently over the age of 60, researchers claim that without women, church pulpits would become "depopulated".

Unfortunately, one can populate all the pulpits in the world, but that doesn't translate into maintaining a robust population the pews, which is the real problem in the Church of England. One could speculate that the sterile, same-sex union (female priest in conjugal relationship with Holy Mother Church) might also have something bearing on the decline of congregants, since it flows so merrily with their abandonment of all Church teaching touching on the male-female thing. The birds and the bees (as fore-runners to making babies) have been rejected as hopelessly passe (and ecologically unsustainable) and yet soon buzzing and chirping may be all that's left.

Papa needs prayers

My dear sisters, our Holy Father is showing heroic courage by following through on a visit to a hostile state, a land that was the setting for part of our Sacred Scriptures, and an ancient faith community that originated during the time of the apostles. Despite threats, protests, and venomous words in all media venues [comprehensive overview here], he will step off a plane on Tuesday in modern day Turkey. He knows his life is in God's hands, and he's asked for our prayer support.

Just two days before his trip to Turkey, Benedict XVI today asked an enormous crowd of pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Angelus to accompany him “in prayer, so that this pilgrimage may bear all the fruits that God desires”. The voyage of the pope to Ankara, Ephesus and Istanbul is presenting problems, given the opposition voiced by a section of Turkish opinion linked to Islamist and nationalist ideology, and certain hesitation on the part of the Ankara government. The pope has bypassed these tensions: “From now, I want to send cordial greetings to the dear Turkish people, rich in history and culture; to these people and its representatives, I express sentiments of respect and sincere friendship.”

His most delicate moment will be his eight minute visit to Hagia Sophia:

ST SOPHIA is a place of dizzying magnificence. One of the most sacred sites in Christendom for almost a millennium, then a mosque for almost 500 years, the Byzantine masterpiece is today a museum that testifies to centuries of feuding between Christianity, Islam and secularism.

So when Pope Benedict XVI takes to the Istanbul tourist trail on Thursday to admire the mosaics under the soaring dome of the sixth-century basilica, it will be the most delicate moment of the most sensitive trip the 79-year-old Bavarian has made.

There is virtually no welcome except in the hearts of the very small numbers of Christians remaining in the country:

[T]he banks of the Bosporus are plastered with banners declaring: "We don't want the Pope in Turkey." The Turk who tried to assassinate Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, in 1981, has warned from a Turkish prison cell that Benedict's life is in danger. Shots have been fired outside the Italian consulate in Istanbul; a plane was hijacked in a papal protest.

The Turkish Government insists Benedict is welcome, but at one time was having trouble fielding high-level figures to meet him. Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, originally had a pressing engagement elsewhere, but on Saturday night a government official said he was hoping to meet the Pope on his arrival in the country after all.

We must join in prayer for prudence on the part of everyone -- knowing full-well that whatever happens will be part of God's providence for the good of souls. The Knights of Columbus are circulating this prayer to be said during the visit.

Let's pray to Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, and consider what Saint Louis Marie de Montfort says of this fruit of the Holy Spirit:

1. Wisdom gives man light to know the truth but a wonderful capacity to make truth known to others.
2. Wisdom gives man a relish for things of God.
3. Wisdom pours into his heart ineffable joy, sweetness and peace even in midst of hardest trials and tribulations.
4. Wisdom sets men on fire and makes them do great things for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Of course, the surest path to wisdom is through Our Lady:

Our Lady is the Seat of Wisdom because She was the creature who knew and loved God most, contemplating Him in the universe. The Gospel tells us: She observed all things and kept them in Her Heart. Our Lady is the Seat of Wisdom because She is the Universal Mediatrix that God established between Himself and men in order to be known and loved.

Here, then, is the admirable secret to possess Divine Wisdom: “Mary is,” St. Louis says, “the secret magnet.

“Wherever she is, she draws Eternal Wisdom so powerfully that He cannot resist. …Once we possess Mary we shall easily and in a short time possess Divine Wisdom through her intercession. Of all the means to possess Jesus Christ, Mary is the surest, the easiest, the shortest way and the holiest.

For the only creature found worthy to conceive and give birth to Eternal Wisdom was Our Lady. And when we go to her, justly called the Seat of Wisdom, she will lead us to this Treasure.

As an antidote to the false worship of knowledge so prevalent in our days, it would be an admirable practice to include this invocation often in our daily routine:

Sedes Sapientiae, Ora Pro Nobis.
Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, guide your son Benedict in the coming week as he gives bold witness to the truth of your Son. Amen.

Faintest glimmer of hope

Women in Pakistan, like most who live under Islamic rule, have very limited options.

A woman is raped every two hours and gang-raped every eight hours in Pakistan, according to the country's independent Human Rights Commission. Correspondents say these figures are probably an under-estimation as many rapes are not reported. Campaigners say Pakistan's laws have made it virtually impossible to prosecute rape.

That would be because the victim would have to find four actual witnesses to come to her defense, and if she tries to press charges without them, she will be found guilty of adultery.

Rape and adultery in Pakistan are dealt with under the Hudood Ordinance, a controversial set of Islamic laws introduced from 1979 by Gen Zia-ul-Haq. They include sections prescribing lashing and stoning as punishments for adultery.

That would result in her being lashed or stoned, after being raped. It's a wonder there are as many reported rapes as there are -- it must be a nearly ubiquitous occurrance. Now there's a slim chance that at least some men will be prosecuted.

Now civil courts will be able to try rape cases, assuming the upper house and the president ratify the move.

The reform has been seen as a test of President Musharraf's stated commitment to a moderate form of Islam.

"It is a historic bill because it will give rights to women and help end excesses against them," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told parliament after the vote.

And how do the spiritual leaders of these women victims side on this legislation?

Pakistan's religious parties called the new legislation "a harbinger of lewdness and indecency in the country", and against the strictures of the Koran and Sharia law.

They have threatened nationwide protests over the revised bill.

Addressing parliament on Wednesday, the leader of the six-party MMA Islamic alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, said the bill would "turn Pakistan into a free-sex zone".

"Existing laws are correct and should be maintained... The changes are not in line with Islamic teaching."

So the Imams are opposed, and the president has yet to ratify the bill. Each woman still has many gauntlets to run, usually starting with her own father and brothers. At least it's an effort, but if Islam doesn't even offer an olive branch to its own female adherents, how can it be a religion of peace. Security for these women is an essential component.

Great gift idea

Carrie Lukas has reviewed Strong Father, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know, by Dr. Meg Meeker and finds it a wonderful work.

Dr. Meeker’s advice to fathers is both reassuring and challenging. She urges men to spend time with their daughters, to listen intently to them, and to realize that they will set their daughters’ expectations for future relationships with men. It’s up to dad to show his daughter what a responsible, humble, courageous, and good man really is.

Dr. Meeker emphasizes that dads don’t have to give up being men to nurture their daughters — in fact, their maleness is their strength:

Most of you out there are good men as well, but you are good men who have been derided by a culture that does not care for you, that, in terms of the family, has ridiculed your authority, denied your importance, and tried to fill you with confusion about your role. But I can tell you that fathers change lives… You are natural leaders, and your family looks to you for qualities that only fathers have. You were made a man for a reason, and your daughter is looking to you for guidance than she cannot get from her mother.

Counter-cultural, to be sure, but essential information. Perhaps a Christmas gift for a husband, brother, or son.

A radical choice

Time has a respectful piece that reflects the typical secular mystified reaction to the young women choosing the consecrated life.

Over the past five years, Roman Catholic communities around the country have experienced a curious phenomenon: more women, most in their 20s and 30s, are trying on that veil. Convents in Nashville, Tenn.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and New York City all admitted at least 15 entrants over the past year and fielded hundreds of inquiries. One convent is hurriedly raising funds for a new building to house the inflow, and at another a rush of new blood has lowered the median age of its 225 sisters to 36. Catholic centers at universities, including Illinois and Texas A&M, report growing numbers of women entering discernment, or the official period of considering a vocation. Career women seeking more meaning in their lives and empty-nest moms are also finding their way to convent doors.

Explaining that the world often doesn't satisfy, it continues (despite itself):

While the JP2 generation seeks order and community, Gen Xers are coming to religious life in a quest for meaning after secular society has failed to meet their needs. "It's been my experience that women who are older--in their 30s and early 40s--feel that they've accomplished a lot with their life, but there's still something missing," says Sister Laurie Brink, 45, a professor of biblical studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago who has lectured on the subject and who took her vows at 37. Her generation, she adds, growing up in the wake of Vatican II, was not as schooled in catechism as were baby boomers and millennials. Many also broke from the church when their parents divorced. "My generation," says Brink, "is not good with commitment because we haven't seen a lot of it."

Sadly, the older orders don't know where to find inspiration.

The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, whose average age is 70, are seeking a similar youth infusion. The order, based in Mantiowac, Wis., hired a marketing company from nearby Milwaukee to hold focus groups on college campuses around the state. The marketers then launched a website featuring a blog written by the nuns, along with a slickly produced podcast about a young nun joining the order.

A marketing company? Wonder how much that cost! One would think they could go to their original constitutions, the life of their foundress, or hey, the nearest Tabernacle to find out the Source of vocations -- for free! But they were told it was good music kids wanted, and they responded with putting that on their site. Poor dears.

All in all, a great read!

Hmmm, wonder what she does

This zealous California woman has taken steps that she thinks make her a deacon. In a confused article, mixing up validity and liceity, the participants all indicate their ignorance of the Church they seek to serve.

Epigraphic evidence shows that the Catholic Church had given women sacramental ordination until the ninth century.

Really? That sent me scrambling for a dictionary:

ep‧i‧graph [ep-i-graf, -grahf] –noun

1.	an inscription, esp. on a building, statue, or the like.

2.	an apposite quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc.

Oh. So women now give a special priority to hieroglyphics? Church history (usually transmitted in words) and the writings of the Church Fathers (also word-based stuff) don't cut it? Did the historians and early Christians not see those pictures? Or suffer a disconnect between what they wrote and what they drew? All too silly for the serious student to take seriously.

In all sincerity, I wonder what "the deacon" does in those visits. Probably what she was able to do as a layman, unless she's witnessing marriages. So sad, all the misguided energy that could be channeled through her feminine genius.