Do American Catholics not read John Paul II’s On the Dignity & Vocation of Women? …
That’s a good document. I’m surprised no one mentioned it before.
Just for fun I thought I’d check out roles of some of the women in the document
vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_15081988_mulieris-dignitatem_en.html
In every age and in every country we find many “perfect” women (cf. Prov. 31:10) who, despite persecution, difficulties and discrimination, have shared in the Church’s mission. It suffices to mention: Monica, the mother of Augustine, Macrina, Olga of Kiev, Matilda of Tuscany, Hedwig of Silesia, Jadwiga of Cracow, Elizabeth of Thuringia, Birgitta of Sweden, Joan of Arc, Rose of Lima, Elizabeth Ann Seton and Mary Ward.
Pope John Paul II references Proverbs 31
Ode to a Capable Wife (NRSV CE)
10 A capable wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant,
she brings her food from far away.
15 She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her servant-girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor,
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all her household are clothed in crimson.
22 She makes herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the city gates,
taking his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she supplies the merchant with sashes.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her happy;
her husband too, and he praises her:
29 ‘Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.’
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the city gates.
Now for the women:
First up is Monica, the mother of Augustine: a virtuous and prayerful woman unhappily married to a pagan, who prayed her son to sainthood.
Macrina: a saint and one of the most prominent nuns of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Older sister to Basil the Great, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, and Peter of Sebaste whom she infuluenced to follw an ascetic life.
Olga of Kiev: ruler of Kievan Rus’ as regent for her son, and the first ruler of Rus to convert to Christianity.
Matilda of Tuscany: an Italian noblewoman, the principal Italian supporter of Pope Gregory VII against the German King Henry IV. She is one of the few medieval women to be remembered for her military accomplishments.
Hedwig of Silesia: Noble woman married young to a Duke, bore him 7 sons, when he died became a Cisterican Nun, credited with great sanctity and many miracles.
Jadwiga of Krakow: monarch of Poland from 1384 to her death. Her official title was ‘king’ not ‘queen’, since she was a sovereign in her own right and not merely a royal consort.
Elizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Landgravine of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. After her husband’s death she sent her children away and regained her dowry, using the money to build a hospital where she herself served the sick. She became a symbol of Christian charity after her death at the age of 24 and was quickly canonized.
Bridget of Sweden: a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena.
Joan of Arc, “The Maid of Orléans” folk heroine of France and a Catholic saint; born to a peasant family in north-east France. Claiming divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years’ War, which paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII of France. Captured by the Burgundians, transferred to the English in exchange for money, put on trial by the pro-English Bishop of Beauvais for charges of “insubordination and heterodoxy”,and burned at the stake for heresy when she was 19 years old. Canonized in 1920.
Rose of Lima, T.O.S.D., a Spanish colonist in Lima, Peru, who became known for both her life of severe asceticism and her care of the needy of the city through her own private efforts. A lay member of the Dominican Order, she was the first person born in the Americas to be canonized by the Catholic Church.
