Veiled Woman: Chapter 2 - A Woman’s Proper Sphere

HIDDEN HOMELIFE

Woman, as a bride and mother, is called to emulate Mary’s example. She is often called upon to sacrifice the development of her personal talents in order to pour her energy into the cultivation of the talents of her children. This is not a sinful neglect of her talents, but a proper self-effacing, wherein the glory of humanity is revealed through the mother’s gift of herself. This particular female charism is most accurately portrayed through the vocation of the Bride-Mother, which Le Fort points out: “Wheresoever woman is most profoundly herself, she is not as herself but as surrendered, and wherever she is surrendered, there she is also bride and mother” (24). Only woman can be bride and mother, and thus only woman can symbolize the nurturing element of humanity which pours forth upon the world the gifts of love which she receives from her lover. It is through this vocation that woman learns to be the beloved of her spouse, and to respond to this love by bestowing her energy and leisure upon her family. Through the family she finds fulfillment in the love that is given her and the love she gives forth.

I once asked my Mom, “You don’t have a job, or any hobbies, and you can’t even donate time to our parish. How do you find fulfillment?” She knew I was not blaming her for not giving time to those other things, nor would I have criticized her if she had felt a calling to them. She understood that I was asking the question pure and simply. “It’s you guys,” she said. “When I see all of you and your Dad happy, and practicing your gifts, and loving God, my life is the happiest it could ever be.” As a bride and mother, she is, within this life, blessed with an abundance of joy in watching her husband and children enter the world brimful of the love and nurture that she gives of herself for our sake. When her loved ones succeed and live happy, holy lives, then she finds fulfillment in their success and joy. And she seeks, by her loving example and diligence, ever to increase their welfare. While the Bride-Mother is not the only vocation of woman that allows her to maintain an attitude in-line with her specific dignity, it is she who most clearly symbolizes the call to openness and reciprocity, and the subsequent pouring forth of that fruitful love upon the world.

The life of the mother is invaluable, but not pretty; it consists of the hidden and the humble, the dirtiest and most unpleasant tasks, which she fulfills in a complete and specific manner that is unique to her nature as a woman. The mother is called to be open to the gift of the person, to accept every individual as an “I” and to cultivate that personality. John Paul II expounds on this open attitude of mothers: “Motherhood implies from the beginning a special openness to the new person; and this is precisely the woman’s ‘part’”(25). The woman is called to accept each person she encounters, receiving their unique gifts into herself in order to love and cultivate them, and the ultimate reception of her nature is revealed when she embraces the gift of a new individual in the person of an infant, who depends unconditionally upon her acceptance.

OUTSIDE THE HOME

Many women are called to exercise their gifts outside, or in addition to, the family sphere, and when properly practiced, this call does not negate the gift of love a woman is called to bestow upon others. For, while woman is not called to ignore or deny her gifts (unless a specific situation arises in which something greater is demanded of her sacrificially), yet she is encouraged to put those gifts to the service of those she loves. Edith Stein says that motherhood and the professional sphere can be combined, so long as there is a proper ordering of priorities. She says that:

The fact that all powers which the husband possesses are present in a feminine nature as well – even though they may generally appear in different degrees and relationships – is an indication they should be employed in corresponding activity. And wherever the circle of domestic duties is too narrow for the wife to attain the full formation of her powers, both nature and reason concur that she reach out beyond this circle (26).

She does offer a warning, however, saying that certain “professional activities” may “jeopardize domestic life” (27). “It even seems to me a contradiction of the divine order when the professional activities of the husband escalate to a degree that cuts him off completely from family life. This is even more true of the wife” (28). Therefore, Edith Stein maintains when a woman is called to live in the professional sphere, it is most important that she maintains a proper ordering of priorities.

An entirely new level of difficulty is found for the woman who tries to give the two spheres - motherhood and professional life - equal attention. The problem that arises is that the woman often does not maintain a correct ordering of priorities, but rather, desires self-glorification in the professional sphere, at the expense of the home. Cultivating one’s God-given talents at the neglect of one’s role as mother and bride always results in self-glorification and unfulfillment, even when directed toward the good of another or that of humanity in general. While it is important for a woman to work for success in her professional life, it is ultimately more important that she pour her maternal, nurturing energies into her home. A woman can virtuously pursue the overflow of her talents which are not being fulfilled at home if she does so in subordination to her primary vocation of mother and wife.

Since the male world is full of active, visible energy due to man’s unique nature, it is tempting for a woman in the professional world to seek to live with this energy as well, and to believe the lie that she cannot succeed without a distinctly male attitude. But a woman can only find fulfillment in the professional sphere if she is careful to always maintain an attitude of self-gift and receptivity. She is not called to to strive to conquer, for it is in living self-gift and receptivity that she - either literally or symbolically - fulfills her role as mother and bride. She must remember to receive love and always remain receptive to the ‘others’ that she encounters in life. Whether married or single, the public sphere is an appropriate place for woman, so long as she retains an understanding of her nature, and is forever receptive to the call of her Creator.

THE ULTIMATE VOCATION - LOVE

Love is the ultimate vocation of woman. It is that which gives woman her ultimate dignity, for it encompasses the two-fold nature of those dignities inherent to her as a person. John Paul II proclaims that: “A woman's dignity is closely connected with the love which she receives by the very reason of her femininity; it is likewise connected with the love which she gives in return” (29). Whether in the professional, familial, or religious sphere, woman is called to reciprocate love. This is more an attitude than a job description. Feminists of this age tote the idea that anything man can do, woman can master as well. This is, in fact, true. Gertrude von le Fort says that: “Whenever woman has been suppressed, it is because she is recognized and feared as having power” (30). It is by the very fact that woman has great power in the exercise of her gifts that she is called to surrender of herself: she is called to love first and foremost, for without love, her power would destroy society. Edith Stein raises the question: “Should certain positions be reserved for only men, others for only women, and perhaps a few open for both?” (31). She answers this question with a definitive ‘no’. She says that “no legal barriers of any kind should exist” (32) to limit woman’s participation in the professional sphere, yet neither should any social condition exist that forces the mother to be away from her home. It is a rebellion against God’s divine plan for anyone to suppress woman, either within or without the home, for it is her free choice to submit to God’s call, and to rise up when evil threatens and no others will take a stand. She is free, as a person, to choose not to insert herself into those roles that most often suit men, but to respect that she is different, and her own talents may lie in a separate direction.

JUDITH - ACTING FOR MEN

However, when man will not stand up and defend, protect, and generally live up to his own symbols, then it is the woman’s responsibility to act in his stead, using her own charisms to accomplish the ends to which man is called. Judith’s great virtue was that she first stood up and called on men to step into their vocation and overthrow the invaders of Israel. But when they refused, she took the task upon herself, and using her unique qualifications as a woman, she beheaded Holofernes, the general of the invading army, and disbanded the entire horde (33). Woman can do anything man puts his hand to, but whether she is called to do so in every instance, or in the same manner, is another matter.

Le Fort says that “Man, regarded in his cosmic aspect, stands in the foreground of strength, while woman dwells in its deeper reaches” (34). Woman is the symbol of the universe’s great receptivity, and she takes upon herself the unlimited, active love of God; and she, as his vessel, pours out that love upon the earth. It is in the depths of existence that woman gives of herself, and thereby fortifies the foundations of society, whether she does so as mother, executive, employee, social worker, warrior, etc.

CLINTON

Hillary Clinton is the most prominent example of a woman at the forefront of political and professional life in our world today. Her name is known internationally, and she is commonly held up as a role model for women: Tawakkol Karman, an Arab leader, has a picture of Clinton on her mantel for inspiration (35).

Clinton is a supposed proponent of full recognition of woman’s rights; she said in an interview that “the twenty-first century is about ending the pervasive discrimination and degradation of women and fulfilling their full rights” (36). This sounds well and good, and pays lip-service to John Paul II’s teachings regarding realizing women’s dignity in our current world. However, we must be careful of the language used by those who pretend to support woman, but in reality work against her best interests. The words of of Hillary Clinton arouse excitement, but are designed to conceal what she really promotes: a utilitarian view of woman in the world. It is the goal of Clinton, and those like her, to use women, rather than elevate them. When women claim that they want an equal footing with men, they often actualize this goal by selling themselves to the active systems of the professional world, seeking to struggle and strive for success. Rather than embracing her nature and utilizing it to bring mediation, relationships, and creativity into the workplace, woman has all too often reinforced the negative professional atmosphere by absorbing it into her person. Ultimately, when taken to an extreme, this attitude results in butchery for the sake of the woman’s ability to ‘keep up’ with men. Sadly, this has happened for many, many women, including Clinton. Intent as she has been in securing woman’s ability to pursue professional success at any cost, she has resorted to the most degrading of womanly actions: the murder of the unborn child.

“Politicians have no business interfering with women's personal health decisions,” Hillary posted online. “I will oppose efforts to roll back women's access to reproductive health care, including Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. As president, I'll stand up for Planned Parenthood and women’s access to critical health services, including safe, legal abortion” (37). Hillary Clinton, as an example of the self-exalted woman who seeks to rise at any cost, destroys in her person the very nature of what it means to be a woman. Woman, who is called to accept new life when presented with it, and to put her own life at its service, denies her nature when she denies the gift of that new person.

ABORTION

This is why Abortion is such a complete denial of woman’s true nature, since it is an intrinsic refusal to accept a person as another “I”, and thereby reduces that helpless individual to the state of an inconvenience and burden. Woman is, within the home, called to strive for the most ideal spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing of her children; she is called to strive for the best education possible, the best health they can attain, and the greatest independence they can achieve. She recognizes their dependence and nurtures them on account of it, at the same time as she teaches them to function as individuals, until finally, she makes the greatest sacrifice by watching them become independent of herself.

The mother is the nurturing, loving half of reality that recognizes weakness and draws greatness out of it. She adores the smallest, most seemingly insignificant individual, and by doing so, exalts his nature and enables the child to succeed in the world. In the success of the child, the mother finds fulfillment.

ANNA HALPINE OF WORLD YOUTH ALLIANCE

The strength of woman – her role as the complement of the cosmos – is demonstrated throughout history by many strong and active women in the public sphere, who, like St. Catherine of Siena and Joan of Arc, answered the call of God to exit their comfortable, inward life and confront the evils of the world: and thus, to live a professional, womanly life. Anna Halpine, of the World Youth Alliance, is a contemporary example of a woman who seeks to maintain an attitude of self-gift and receptivity, and by doing so, has positively impacted the world (38).

Anna Halpine is a single, professional woman who submits herself in accord with her womanly dignity. In preparation for this thesis, I conducted an interview with Anna (39), in which I asked her where she found fulfillment in her life, and she answered that it was in the work that she does. “I try to use everything I have towards a mission that seems, in one way to have been given to me, and to which I am happy to also give…. A movement of love underpins the work I have chosen to do.” Anna, in her words, demonstrates the receptive nature of woman in that she chooses to respond to the call of God her lover, and to live the life He asks of her. This is her fiat, to accept the gift He gives. And out of love for Him and for her mission, she pours out love into the mission itself: thus allowing fruits to flow from it. She need not relinquish her femininity in her position, she says, but simply accepts that her vocation is to sacrifice. “And the men I work with must do the same. We are all working together to find the best way to work hard, achieve our goals, [and] communicate the meaning of what we do.” Anna recognizes that there is a common human mission to “give of self.” “I have learned to give myself,” she says, “to the work, to the mission, and to my own life in living it.” She addresses the role of woman as mother, commenting that “it would be difficult for me to do the work that I do while having a family (small children). This is simply a calculation of hours and energy.” She recognizes that with a family her primary responsibilities and energy would be directed toward them, but as it is, “Since I do not have the care of small children, I am able to give all my energy, work, and creativity to the work I do.” Even though she is not a physical mother, Anna demonstrates a motherly nature in her very vocabulary: “We have to be open to surprises – the friendship that suddenly pops up and enriches [us].” She demonstrates the openness of the mother to the ‘other’, and strives to live in grace-filled communion with her fellows; she says, “I have tried to be grateful for the overabundance of love and joy that has been given to me, to give myself fully to this work that has been entrusted to me, and to also try to stay open should God decide to send ‘an other’ into my life, as has not yet happened.” She maintains a bridal relationship to God as woman, and receives the outpouring of His many graces into her life with a joyful proclamation of “My soul magnifies the Lord,/ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (40).

The professional woman, in order to maintain her human and womanly dignity, must remember that she is created for love, and not self-glorification. When she remembers this, she will not attempt to enter man’s world and “sink thereby to the level merely of his methods” (41), but will assert her true feminine dignity and enter into a full participation of reality, in union with men, through which she will “be that which God destined her to be, the other half of existence” (42). She will bring to the professional world a broader view of reality that is not limited to merely the male perspective, but will reveal the entirety of the cosmos. This is a view that recognizes reception of the person as well as facts and figures, and that embraces the love of God instead of only representing the extraverted aspect of man’s nature.

With a full embracing of her nature, woman has the potential to transform the world with a visible and joyful manifestation of God’s glorious plan for humanity. In this way, she achieves her fitting place in the world: a place that allows for the charisms of a feminine personality, and does not seek merely to conform woman to the outward nature of the world of man, but will promote a viewpoint in line with the plan of the creator: a whole, complete universe.

FOOTNOTES FOR CHAPTER 2

24 Le Fort, pg. 11

25 Pope John Paul II, part 18

26 Edith Stein, Essays on Woman (Washington D.C.: ICS Publications, 1996) pg. 80 28 Ibid, pg. 80

27 Ibid, pg. 80

28 Pope John Paul II, part 30

29 Le Fort, pg 13

30 Edith Stein, pg. 81

31 Ibid, pg. 81

32 Judith, 8-13

33 Le Fort, pg. 13

34 http://www.makers.com/hillary-rodham-clinton; access date 4/1/16

35 Ibid

38 Posted on Google, Jan. 6th, 2016; engine search: “Hillary Clinton on Abortion,” access date 3/29/16

36 Interview conducted with Anna Halpine, February, 2016

37 Le Fort, pg 60

38 Ibid, pg. 62

39 WYA (World Youth Alliance) is an organization founded by Anna Halpine in 1999 to raise awareness of human dignity. It began in New York City, and now has locations in four continents and six countries around the world.

40 Luke 1:46-47