By Larry Peterson
“When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more noble her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women.”
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
In 1988 Pope John Paul II (now St.
John Paul II) wrote an apostolic letter titled, Mulieris Dignitatem
(On the Dignity and Vocation of Women).
It identified the complimentary roles of men and women in line with the true philosophy of feminism. In doing so it demonstrated the ultimate concept of
“giving of oneself”. With the furor over
“gender identity” raging it is time to revisit this document.
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| Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen |
When I was growing up, it was the norm for a man to give a lady a seat on the bus or subway, to open doors for women, let them go first in line and so forth. Women were considered special by men and that type of behavior was more or less accepted and even taken for granted. Grant you, it was not a perfect world (there have always been the abusers and the misogynistic). However, for the most part, men afforded women a deferential courtesy simply because they were women.
Fast forward fifty years to the
present-day. Now a senior citizen, I
found myself stepping ahead of two younger women as we all approached the
entrance to a shoe store. My motive, as it was fifty years before, was to open
the door for them. I reached for the
handle, looked at them and smiled. The first woman presented me with a scowl
and said, “I can open the door myself.”
I realize that most ladies would
have accepted my gesture and said, “Thank you” or smiled at me or simply
accepted my showing them respect. Rather, this woman exuded a certain loathing
toward me. She did not know me which meant I represented that part of humanity
she despised. It was a bit unnerving. Anyway,
I let the door go and the woman who rejected my momentary “doorman” status, opened
the door, held it open for her friend and they both entered. So be it.
A few seconds later a man and woman
with a child approached the very same entrance. They were either a married or
unmarried couple in their middle to late twenties. He was a few steps ahead of
them. He opened the door and walked in.
He never looked back and let the door go. His companion grabbed the door as it
began to close and led her child in. I
watched as she and her child caught up to him.
It appeared so perfectly normal. They
proceeded to walk together completely in sync about how they had interacted
with each other entering the store. The
behavior was obviously taken for granted. I viewed it as rude. I am obviously not a millennial. (Please—I
know there are lots of polite millenials).
Those few moments in time were a reflection
to me of how the crusade for complete equality has taken a seriously convoluted
turn. Here (in my opinion) are the
irrefutable facts in the order as I see them:
1)Man and Woman are both human beings; 2)Man and Woman are unique unto their own sex;
3)Man and Woman complement each other; 4)Man and Woman can form a bond with each
other which allows them to be able to unite together as one
couple; this natural, complimentary bond
completes the Human equation; 5) the
answer to the human equation is New Life.
Therefore it follows that; Man and Woman NEED each other; Man and Woman need to respect each other for their uniqueness which allows them to ‘complete ‘ each other ; and finally, Man and Woman will cease to exist without each other. This concept is generally mocked in a secular driven world.
Therefore it follows that; Man and Woman NEED each other; Man and Woman need to respect each other for their uniqueness which allows them to ‘complete ‘ each other ; and finally, Man and Woman will cease to exist without each other. This concept is generally mocked in a secular driven world.
In an age of social rudeness, I wonder it if might not be good for everyone to read Mulieris Dignitatem, just for the reminder that once upon a time, quaint-seeming social customs and courtesies were reflections of objective truths our society is now struggling with. Women deserve the dignity and respect that comes with being what God has created them to be. And men need to stand up for them. Imagine the possibilities. It might be a purifying spring breeze blowing through the thrown-open windows of a stifling room.
From St. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Mulieris Dignitatem (1988), no. 18
"Parenthood - even though it belongs to both man and woman - is realised much more fully in the woman, especially in the prenatal period. It is the woman who 'pays' directly for this shared generation, which literally absorbs the energies of her body and soul. It is therefore necessary that the man be fully aware that in their shared programme of parenthood he owes a special debt to the woman."
©Larry Peterson 2016 All Rights Reserved
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