Introduction to Veiled Woman in the World
Woman today is active in every sphere of public life, and the common understanding of her is that the professional world is her proper place. The world regards the home and family life as taking second priority to the woman’s role as an active, visible individual, who finds her fulfillment by realizing her creative energies in a realm that is purposefully separated from her home, children, and husband.
And even within Christianity, we find apparently differing views to the idea of proper womanhood. How can we reconcile an authoritative Catherine of Sienna with the obedient fiat of Mother Mary? Judith, from the Old Testament, represents woman as strong, commanding, and unyielding, but the woman of Proverbs 31 represents woman as humble, caring, and merciful. It is on account of these seemingly incompatible images that the nature of woman presents a paradox to the world.
How are we to understand woman’s relation to reality, and the role that she plays therein, and where can we find a key to unlock this great mystery? Woman is a mystery: she is not simply a submissive creature, created to cater to man’s whims, but neither is she a man, created to function as he does in the world. She shares with him a common humanity, but ultimately, she is her own unique sex, distinct from man in the attitude by which she lives her life (1).
Is the public/professional sphere a proper sphere for woman in light of her true dignity? We will explore this question first in relation to woman’s dignity as a person, then regarding her unique nature as a woman, and finally, we will be able to answer the question with which this paper is primarily concerned – whether woman ought to participate in the professionally competitive world, and whether this is in line with her dignity and nature. It is in compiling the writings of Pope John Paul II, Gertrude von le Fort, and Edith Stein on the subject of woman that we can come to an understanding of her two-fold nature: first, of her call to give of herself for others; and second, for her to receive and return love. When woman maintains an attitude of her feminine nature toward life, then no matter what sphere (professional or familial) in which she participates, she will bring the gift of her feminine charism to the world.
The final section of this thesis deals with a commonly discarded image of the veil. It is an image that most properly demonstrates woman’s nature and which, when properly understood, allows woman to best portray the symbol of her dignity in this life.
The ultimate goal of this thesis is to lead the reader to a more complete understanding of who woman is, why she is such, and how we are to embrace her unique nature, which is so universally misunderstood. It is not a question that offers a ready answer, but one that, when answered, opens multiple horizons for women’s fulfillment, and invites us to continue searching it out, in all its nuances, within our personal lives.
Footnotes from Introduction:
1 Attitude, as it is used herein, is a mental and spiritual orientation toward a particular invisible reality.