Over at Catholic Exchange, Fr. Samuel Medley, SOLT has a beautiful article in which he reflects on the “mystery” of woman:

Woman is a wonderful mystery. Often even to herself, she is an enclosed garden, a fountain sealed. When approaching the topic of womanhood, and especially when approaching women, what is most important is to reveal that each woman is, like any wonderful mystery, meant to be accepted, contemplated, cherished, and most importantly, to be loved. This is ultimately what it what is at the heart of being feminine, to be a receiver of love, primarily the love of Jesus Christ. It is He who cries out, “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!” (Song 4:10). It is he who is pursuing woman, knocking on the heart of each one, daily walking alongside them, encouraging and affirming the mystery that they exist to remind the world that it exists primarily for God, to be loved by him and thus to become his beloved.

You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride,
an enclosed garden, a fountain sealed. – Song of Songs 4:12

This metaphor, says JP II, “expresses the whole personal dignity of the sex.” It indicates the woman’s “personal structure of self possession.”

The bride presents herself to the eyes of the man as the master of her own mystery. (TOB 110:7)

Part of this mystery, though I’m not sure that JP II specifically address, is stamped right into our very bodies in the “veiling” of our sexual organs – an indication of something sacred, set apart by God. It is inside the female body that God chose to continue His work of creating new, unique human souls. This should fill us with an overwhelming sense of awe and prompt us to have a “trembling reverence” in front of such a mystery!! How sad that, instead, Fr. Medley recalls, we live in a world in which the woman is, like no other time in history, is “more denigrated and objectified through the improper use of modern media, magazines, internet porn, and a role of women promoted in society that is not at all feminine or worthy of the beautiful mystery of woman.”

Notice that the woman in the Song of Songs does not open herself up to just any man, but only the one who would vow to commit his entire life to her, to set her as a “seal upon his heart” (SOS 8:6) and assure her that his love will be a love “as strong as death” (ibid) She does not settle for a man who lusts after her body, but one who is so captivated by her entire mystery as woman, who loves her genuinely, first as sister (for we are all brothers and sisters in Christ) and then wife and then offers himself as a free gift to her. This is the only kind of man worthy to behold such a mystery. This is the only kind of man that all women should hold out for and the kind of man that we should encourage all of our brothers to be by being guardians of our own purity, masters of our own mystery.

“When women are pure, men will respect, nay, venerate them; they will also hear the call challenging them to chastity.” (Alice von Hildebrand, The Privilege of Being a Woman p. 90)

Read more of Father’s beautiful affirmation of of the mystery and dignity of woman, which especially includes her unique ability to freely give and receive love.

Previous posts:
Sacred Femininity
Feminine Receptivity
TOB Tuesdays