“There’s something bout’ a woman that’s easy
to love.” ~Lady Antebellum.
At the pinnacle of
creation, God makes woman. She is equal in dignity to the man, but beautifully
different. Adam’s first response toward
her is the cry of delight that “this one, at last, is bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh” (Gen 2:21-23). Today
the Church continues to echo this cry of delight toward women. In his letter to women, St. John Paul II boldly
writes that “woman is the model and archetype of the whole human race.”[1] Why?
What is it about a woman that gives her such a title?
We can begin to explore
the answer to this question by first reflecting on why God desired to create
two genders for mankind in the first place.
In this matter, God speaks to himself, “Let us make mankind in our image”
(Gen 1:26). It follows then that
maleness and femaleness reveals some profound insight into the mystery of
God. By their unity in which they still
retain their own uniqueness, we see evidence of the Trinity as a communion of
persons which revelation would later confirm.[2] In Jesus, “God has revealed his innermost
secret. God is in himself an eternal
exchange of love and has destined man to share in that exchange” (CCC, 221).
Beyond simply
giving us insight to the Trinity, the one flesh union of Adam and Eve teaches
us something about our own relationship to God.
St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, “This [union] is a great mystery, but
I speak in reference to Christ and
the Church” (Eph 5:32). In this
analogy, Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Church is his beloved Bride. It is no coincidence that Jesus chose his
first miracle to happen at a wedding feast (John 2:1). When Jesus’ side is pierced by the lance,
blood and water flow out (John 19:34).
From Adam’s rib, Eve was formed; similarly, the Church springs forth
from the wounded side of Jesus (CCC, 766).
This is the reason why so many mystics like St. Therese of Lisieux loved
the Song of Songs. They understood that this
scripture of dialog between Bride and Bridegroom reflected the depths of Jesus’
passion for us.[3]
Now let’s get back
to the original question. Woman is the
model of the whole human race because woman receives the gift of the
Bridegroom. The husband literally fills
his wife with the seed of life. The
bride opens herself to fully receive the love of her spouse.[4] It is Christ who lavishes his love upon us
the Bride. If we are open to receive his
gift of love, we will bear fruit for eternal life (John 6:54). Without woman, we would be at a loss to
understand this profound truth of our humanity.
We see this exemplified perfectly in the Virgin Mary. It was she who so opened herself to the love
of God that she literally became the dwelling place of God. Because of Mary, woman’s body has become a
figure for heaven.[5] In the words of the band Walk the Moon, “this woman is my destiny.”
It is the destiny
of every person – male and female alike – to allow ourselves to become totally penetrated
with the love of God. Just as Jesus was
submissive to the Father’s will, so we must submit ourselves to the will of
Christ (John 17:7). His will is not to
dominate us like a tyrant but desires that we experience his love. He delights in his Bride even more than the
first Adam delighted in Eve. May our hearts
always be open to his gift.
Bibliography
John Paul II, Man and
Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, Pauline Books, Boston.
John Paul II, Mulieris
Dignitatem (1988), Vatican Web site, http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1988/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19880815_mulieris-dignitatem.html
(accessed August 31, 2015).
St. Therese of Lisieux, Story
of a Soul: Autobiography of the Little Flower, Tan classics.
West, Christopher. Fill
These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing, Crown Publishing.
Graphic borrowed from: http://geophys.deviantart.com/art/Laughing-Woman-290686025
[1]
John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem (1988),
Vatican Web site, http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1988/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19880815_mulieris-dignitatem.html
(accessed August 31, 2015).
[2]
John Paul II, Man and Woman He Created
Them: A Theology of the Body, Pauline Books, Boston, 19:4.
[3]
St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul:
Autobiography of the Little Flower, Tan classics, 132.
[4]
JPII, TOB 17,4.
[5]
Christopher West, Fill These Hearts: God,
Sex, and the Universal Longing, Crown Publishing, 94.
I suppose I should read the letter to me then...Thank you Joey!! :)
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