Today was the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. Like the feast of the Holy Family, this special feast, which celebrates the motherhood of Mary, calls to mind the importance of family, with an emphasis on the beauty and sanctity of motherhood. By being born of a woman, Christ exalted the dignity of women. All women are called to be mothers, naturally and/or spiritually, and we are called to imitate Mary’s perfect example of humility and maternity. Women in today’s society, unfortunately, are not taught this humble example of femininity.
The modern feminist movement is lead by women who reject the traditional role of women and desire to become more like men. Abortion, specifically, turns the role of motherhood into a disease and encourages women to kill their own children to avoid the hardship altogether. Women also continue to use their bodies for other people’s enjoyment. We all recognize the disaster that is the pornography industry which is influencing our young women. Today I was deeply disturbed as I browsed through YouTube and found young women who video tape themselves in skimpy clothes dancing in front of the camera (and much worse) for men to drool over (this is why I have avoided MySpace like the plague and I will probably now avoid YouTube).
Women deserve better than this! They especially deserve better than abortion. Mother Teresa said, “the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child…By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems.” Christ gave us His mother as a perfect example of what it means to be a woman – to remain ever humble and pure and to love deeply, to “give until it hurts”. Mary stood by and watched her Son being nailed to the cross while her own heart was being pierced by a sword. This is the love we are called to imitate.
Recommended reading:
The Privelege of Being a Woman
True Devotion
Mulieris Dignitatem
Humanae Vitae
Theology of the Body
Mother Teresa’s National Prayer Breakfast Speech