feminine-genius

Looking for a Lenten project?

I have a review at Catholic Lane of an excellent study for women -- it would be perfect to do alone, with friends in your living room or even in a more formal parish setting. With larger events swirling about us and making us wonder about how we'll be able to live our faith (with integrity) in the coming years, we would do well to remind ourselves of those who did the same over the centuries in the most trying of times. These books will be a practical and well-grounded help for all of us!

Muslim motherhood

If this woman is truly considered honourable among her countrymen for her "sacrifice," then it's profoundly different than what Jews and Christians find worthy of honour among women.

In a widely publicized event in the Palestinian Authority, Latifa Abu Hmeid, mother of seven terrorists, including four who are serving 18 life sentences for murdering Israelis, led a ceremonial procession to Ramallah to hand over the letter. The revelation was reported and translated by Palestinian Media Watch.

Hmeid’s sons were convicted of killing seven Israeli civilians and attempting to murder 12 others.

One of her sons, Abd Al-Mun’im Abu Hmeid, was termed by the Palestinian Authority a “martyr” [meaning he died in his mission to kill others].

Palestinian Media Watch reported last year that PA Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Karake, had awarded her “the Plaque of Resoluteness and Giving,” inscribed with the names of her four sons who are imprisoned.

Karake explained she was honored because “it is she who gave birth to the fighters, and she deserves that we bow to her in salute and in honor.”

Well, what she has learned of her vocation leads her to rejoice in this accomplishment (raising sons who kill) and what her fellow Muslims have learned about vice and virtue have led them to give both the plaque and the opportunity to present the petition for Palistinian statehood.

As we turn to the Hebrew scriptures, the mother of the seven sons who were killed for their faith immediately comes to mind, but the setting was different:

Antiochus was determined to enforce his vicious edicts upon the Jews, effectively destroying their attachment to the Torah. He forbade the observance of all religious laws; anyone found with a Torah would be executed; circumcision, kosher food, Shabbat, all vestiges of Judaism were outlawed. Phillip was appointed governor of Judea, and he set out to ruthlessly enforce the king's edicts. He decided to begin his campaign with the arrest of the notable sage and High Priest, Elazar. Elazar thwarted Phillip's design by choosing martyrdom over submission. Soon after, Chanah and her seven sons were arrested.

When the king, who was returning to Antioch, heard about the events which were taking place in Jerusalem, he decided to take an active role in enforcing his decrees. The mother and her sons were bound and brought before the king.

Antiochus tried to convince the eldest boy to abandon the Torah. The youth responded with great confidence, "Why do you bother with this long speech, trying to inflict your abominable religion upon us? We are ready to welcome death for the sake of our holy Torah!"

The king was furious and ordered the boy's tongue, hands and feet severed and placed in a fire. The soldiers proceeded to torture the boy, forcing his mother and six brothers to watch his excruciating pain. Antiochus was sure that this sight would intimidate his prisoners into unquestioning submission.

Instead, the martyrdom spurred the family to a deep resolve to accept their fate and to sanctify G-d's name. When the second brother was brought to the king, even the members of the king's retinue begged the boy to obey the king. The boy, however, replied, "Do what you will with me. I am no less than my brother in devotion to G-d." The second son's torture was as bitter as his brother's had been. As he died he told the king, "Woe to you, pitiless tyrant! Our souls go to G-d. And when G-d will awaken the dead and His martyred servants, we will live. But you--your soul will dwell in a place of eternal abhorrence!"

To the amazement of all, the third brother unflinchingly suffered the same fate. The fourth brother echoed his brothers' exhortations, and faced his brutal death with firm resolve. Before he was killed, the fifth brother turned to Antiochus and said: "Don't suppose that G-d has handed us over to you to exalt you or because He hates us. It is because He loves us and has granted us this honor. G-d will take His vengeance upon you and your progeny."

The blood-lust of the king was not assuaged, and the sixth brother was brought to the same end as his brothers who preceded him. His words bespoke his deep faith that G-d would ultimately requite the suffering of His servants.

Throughout this horrible sequence Chanah stood by her sons, giving them strength and encouragement. Now, only the youngest child remained to face the king. When they brought the boy, the king offered him gold and silver if he would do his will. The seven-year-old boy displayed the same courage as his brothers and taunted the king to carry out his threats.

The king couldn't believe such words coming from a mere child, and he called out to Chanah. Chanah stood before the murderer of her children and listened to his words. "Woman, have compassion upon this child. Persuade him to do my will so that you will have at least one surviving child and you too will live." She pretended to agree and asked to speak with her son.

When they stood together, Chanah kissed the boy, then said, "My son, I carried you in my body for nine months, I nursed you for two years and I have fed you until today. I have taught you to fear G-d and uphold His Torah. See the heaven and the earth, the sea and the land, fire, water, wind and every other creation. Know that they were all created by G-d's word. He created man to serve Him and He will reward man for his deeds. The king knows he is condemned before G-d. He thinks that if he convinces you, G-d will have mercy on him. G-d controls your life's breath and can take your soul whenever He desires. If only I could see the greatness of your glorious place where we would be illuminated with G-d's light and rejoice and exult together."

Chanah returned to the king, saying, "I was unable to prevail upon him."

The exasperated king again addressed the child who answered him, "Whom are you seeking to overpower with your words and enticements? I laugh at your foolishness. I believe in the Torah and in G-d Whom you blaspheme. You will remain an abomination upon all mankind, loathsome and far from G-d."

The king was enraged. According to the Talmud, Antiochus gave the boy a chance to save himself by ostensibly bowing down to retrieve his signet ring, but the boy refused. As they removed him, Chanah begged to kiss him one last time. As if speaking to all seven children, Chanah said, "My children, tell your ancestor Abraham, 'You bound only one son upon an altar, but I bound seven." Then Antiochus ordered that the child be tortured even more than his brothers.

Chanah was left surrounded by the bodies of her sons, a prayer exalting G-d on her lips. Then the distraught woman threw herself from a roof and rested beside her martyred sons.

Claiming descent from the same Abraham, whom they insist was a devout Muslim, it is clear that Muslim women are encouraged to sacrifice their sons for the faith as this Jewish mother did, but the essential difference is that these sons died because of their refusal to abandon their faith, whereas the Palestinian men are imprisoned or dead because of their mission to kill Jews. Dying to defend a life-giving covenant is different than punishment for murder--even if the very existence of "enemies" is a provokation.

And then we move to the Christian witness, in which heroic motherhood would likewise entail encouraging others to stand fast for their faith. The greatest of such mothers is Our Lady, whose presence beneath the Cross of her son signalled a maternal love that never wavered from his conception to his dying breath.

Furthermore, rather than killing herself from despair after he died, she took his body in her arms and drank from the bitterest chalice known to man -- the invitation to mother those who had killed him.She has never refused her spiritual motherhood to any who ask for her intercession or favour.

Christian motherhood is both physical and spiritual, and stands apart from all other kinds for its generosity, its selflessness, and its resolve to forgive. There is no room for seeking accolades, holding grudges or rejoicing in spilled blood -- unless its that of the Lamb who rose again and waits to embrace us all.

Simchat Torah!

The feast began last evening at sundown:

Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in the Torah.” This holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. Each week in synagogue we publicly read a few chapters from the Torah, starting with Genesis Ch. 1 and working our way around to Deuteronomy 34. On Simchat Torah, we read the last Torah portion, then proceed immediately to the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a circle, and never ends.

This completion of the readings is a time of great celebration. There are processions around the synagogue carrying Torah scrolls and plenty of high-spirited singing and dancing in the synagogue with the Torahs….

And the relevance is...?

Wisdom is the foundation of the law and the prophets and their crowning glory. God’s plan for his people was revealed in detail for their own good, so that they would thrive among the nations, and the relationship between the two parties in the Covenant would prosper. Sometimes the community would adhere to the commandments of God more closely than at other times, and it must be admitted that now and again in history one would be hard-pressed to distinguish the Jewish remnant from their neighbors; but in time, they would return to their faith, and they would cling once more to the special covenant with the one true God Who called them out of darkness.

 

To help the people see what lay shrouded in the Scriptures, the spiritual covenant even took tangible form, especially in the yearly celebration called “Rejoicing in the Torah.” During this feast, in Hebrew called Simchat Torah, “one takes the Torah under one’s arm, as if it were a bride, and dances with it in the synagogue.”The men who participate are actually called “bridegrooms of the Torah,” which underscores the nuptial reality, and the day allows the community to celebrate God’s mercy anew and acknowledge that it is Lady wisdom that gave life to the children of Israel.

 

For all the passionate love bound up in this earthy and joyful feast, the care taken with the actual Torah throughout the centuries reveals that there is a chasteness to this love, a abiding reverence for the “law as bride.” The scrolls are treated with great respect, being kept in an ark-like tabernacle (often, fittingly, with a crown adorning it), and the law forbids them from being touched by human hands. Even when they are removed so that a portion of the law may be read each day to an assembly, they would never be laid on a bare table but always on a prepared cloth, and then there are layers to be reverently removed: first a mantle, often finely embroidered, then an outer covering of expensive material, and then a girdle of silk which ties the scrolls together. At this point, a silver bar is used as a marker, recalling the admonition of God Himself that nothing should ever touch the Ark, which rested in the midst of the Chosen People. These very same men – who loved wisdom with the ardor of a husband – would go so far as to lay down their lives to protect their scrolls, as witnessed by tragedies over the centuries in which many sons of Israel would die in trying to rescue them from fire or abuse.

 

Jesus, upon reaching the age of maturity, read from the Torah and even unlocked its mysteries in a way that would astonish those assembled. He knew them intimately, of course, since both He was the author, creator, and spouse of the wisdom therein. He would later stress to his followers that he did not intend to do away with even the smallest portion of the law, saying “For truly, as I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished,”Indeed, if He allowed such a thing to happen, He would have distorted or erased the very features of His own bride. Rather, He reminded us that all of the law and the prophets could be summarized in the love of God and of neighbor. Understanding this allows us see the parallels, and to more easily grasp the spiritual truth – that the revealed laws of God were simply tangible dimensions of the Bride of the ages, whom He could embrace as easily as a rabbi did his beloved scrolls (fromThe Authentic Catholic Woman).

"The Past Her Prelude"

Sandra Miesel's wonderful essay on the Blessed Mother has been made available online by Ignatius Press. A version of this was published in Canticle Magazine years ago, but I'm delighted to say that this one is longer and richer than what I could fit "on dead trees" at the time.

Eve is the mother of all according to the flesh, but Mary according to the spirit. As universal spiritual mother and first Christian, Mary is also a Type of the Church, a parallel first noted by St. Irenaeus. Therefore, the same Biblical imagery used for the Church can also apply to Mary: she is the living Ark of the Covenant, the ultimate Temple, the new Jerusalem, and the perfected Israel as Bride of God.

These Old Testament prefigurations are brought forward into the Book of Revelation and amplify the Woman Clothed in the Sun (Rev 12:12), the "great sign" manifested immediately after the scene of the Ark in the celestial Temple. The pregnant Woman's body carries the Messiah as the Ark once held the Divinely sent Tablets of the Law, Aaron's rod that flowered, and a pot of manna Moreover, she is also the mother of all Christians. But this Woman flees from the threatening Satanic Dragon, unlike Eve who fatally lingered when the Serpent spoke.

Highly recommended, take and read when you have a quiet moment.

Another forshadowing

One chapter of my book is devoted to the imagery of Holy Mother Church in the Old Testament, which is quite evident in many places. My thesis maintains that if the bride is the paradigm for all women, then there had to be bridal images from the foundations of the world.

Just as the Eternal Word took flesh at a certain point in history and yet was forshadowed earlier, the bride (certainly not eternal, but a creation) who took flesh from His pierced side at a point in time -- was forshadowed in many ways: wisdom literature, daughter Zion, holy mother Jerusalem, to whom the tribes go up, etc.

Thus I was delighted to learn something about the Burning Bush which Moses saw before he was called to lead the Jews out of slavery in Egypt.

The theme of Our Lady depicted as the burning bush was also seen in one of the icons from the Sinai exhibit and is one of her ancient titles. She is the holy ground where God, the "I Am Who Am", is present. She is this burning place of God's visit that doesn't consume her.

Our Lady, when asked by St. Bernadette, gave her name as: "I am the Immaculate Conception." She is who God made her, wholly consecrated to him from the beginning to bring Christ to the world.

Who would trade the opportunity to live as a bridal icon? It's important to spread this message of dignity and honour to those women who chase baubles and illusions. Here is our joy!

Angels dancing on pins

I love my elder brothers in the faith, but is this really what they spend their time debating?

The Mishnah in Horiyos (13a) states: A man comes before a woman in matters of life (le-hachayos) and to return a lost item, and a woman comes before a man for clothing and redemption from captivity.

The implication of the first item is that if a man and woman are drowning, one should save the man first and then the woman. This has practical implications in triage situations. When, for example, EMTs are called for two emergencies at the same time and have to decide which one to pursue, should they always take the call for man over the woman? Or when an ER doctor has to decide which patient to treat first, should he always take that man before the woman?

Two great recent posekim address this issue in different ways: R. Moshe Feinstein answers by limiting the rule in the Mishnah while R. Eliezer Waldenberg rejects it entirely...

I found at least two blogs debating it seriously, and the minutiae they used to justify "men first" or "women first" were rather funny. Obviously, if it matters and will affect triage or a drowning situation (one blog debated whether to save a woman or man first from drowning and why) then it needs to be hashed out well in advance so they know what to do under pressure. But really ... ?

Genetic signature

How very cool is this!

About 3.5 million of today's Ashkenazi Jews -- about 40 percent of the total Ashkenazi population -- are descended from just four women, a genetic study indicates.

And how do we know this? From the interpretation of mtDNA:

The study involved mitochondrial DNA, called mtDNA, which is passed only through the mother. A woman can pass her mtDNA to grandchildren only by having daughters. So mtDNA is "the perfect tool to trace maternal lineages," Behar said in a telephone interview.

If God withholds His judgement for another century or so (at least) and if we would just use science for the good, we'd be astonished at how much brilliant data is floating just beneath our fingertips. In fact, the more science reveals, the more that it ends up backing up Revelation in the long run.

Take this tidbit as an example. Judaism is a matriarchal religion. If only the father is Jewish, the child is not technically Jewish. While many want to dismiss this prescription, we see here that God said it for a reason. The genetic imprint is from the mother.

Each woman left a genetic signature that shows up in her descendants today, he and colleagues say in a report published online by the American Journal of Human Genetics. Together, the four signatures appear in about 40 percent of Ashkenazi Jews, while being virtually absent in non-Jews and found only rarely in Jews of non-Ashkenazi origin.

Imagine who those four women they were. They had absolutely no idea that they would be responsible for millions of progeny (remember that there are 3.3 million alive today, but how many have existed in these family lines over the milennia?). One can scarce take it in. Of course, simple exponential math would make it clear.

"Be fruitful and multiply" was an edict that had results beyond comprehension.

For a primer on the Ashkenazi, go here.

Modesty is women's friend

We must treasure the Old Testament as a firm foundation for living out God's will in our lives. The close relationship between women, beauty, and wisdom is evident throughout, esp. in this meditation on modesty. Consider:

Women, according to Judaism, share a special trait called binah, loosely translated as "deep understanding." In the Torah, women are exemplified as having a rich inner world, possessing a unique power to influence people's character; they are described as having insight and perception beyond logic, external facts and superficial facades.

How very true. And the author points out that reducing a woman to visible body parts is distracting to others [read: men] and keeps those who interact with her from discovering her valuable essence. Well stated.