I'm just reading this one now and wondering if you can speak on how we do submit to our husbands properly in light of the other parts of Church teaching you describe? I might have missed it but I don't think you directly addressed that in this piece! Thank you!
I so enjoyed reading this! A couple thoughts...As a former Protestant who is married, I had not ever considered that we effectively said God's grace was not enough to redeem marriage when teaching that husbands "are the boss" (although that was called headship) and women are to be the submissive ones. I think some of that thinking may go back to the Protestant understanding of creation...that Adam was first and Eve came from Adam. It was presented as if she was made for him, without any independence or autonomy of her own. I recently took a course through Notre Dame's STEP program on Theology of the Body and learned of Original Solitude. It was enlightening to read that Adam's joy upon seeing/meeting Eve was not necessarily sexual (the whole wo-man! joke in church) but that she was a human, one of him, as opposed to the other animals that were present. Here was someone he could truly commune with. Such a completely new (and welcomed) perspective for me.
While I'm sure there are some slices of Protestants that the essay describes well, I have not personally experienced being ruled or controlled and found that part to be a bit extreme with the "always" and "never." I see how it could develop if the teaching is taken to its extreme but it wasn't like that for everyone.
I was surprised to read that the Church teaches it is wrong for economic issues to force the mother to leave her young children for the workforce. It was surprising because it can appear that it is well accepted amongst Catholics for the woman to work outside the home and that maybe staying home wasn't the goal since a woman isn't just made for the man. So the emphasis that the mother should be able to be with her children is refreshing. I found this to ring true to my experience-my desire was to be with my kids. Today, I think it takes some real untangling of desires to determine if it is economic demands or something more personal that leads women outside the home. I say that as a married woman with kids who works outside the home.
Thank you so much for that thoughtful comment. And I agree: I love the teachings on Original Solitude. I definitely didn’t mean to convey that ALL Protestants think this way. Like with Catholics, it is certain fundamentalist groups within the overall community. And the key word for moms working outside the home is “force.” The Church doesn’t want to see any woman forced to be away from her children because of economic necessity. There is quite a bit in Familiaris Consortio about this. She leaves most questions about work and motherhood to individual discernment, but does stress the importance of the mother being in the home when possible, but also calls for women to use their gifts in the world when possible. It’s both/and for her, although with an emphasis on discernment and times/season/individual calling.
I'm just reading this one now and wondering if you can speak on how we do submit to our husbands properly in light of the other parts of Church teaching you describe? I might have missed it but I don't think you directly addressed that in this piece! Thank you!
I wrote an Instagram post about this a while back. Here you go.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZeiNYprIxo/?igsh=MWExajV6azN0cTgyNg==
I so enjoyed reading this! A couple thoughts...As a former Protestant who is married, I had not ever considered that we effectively said God's grace was not enough to redeem marriage when teaching that husbands "are the boss" (although that was called headship) and women are to be the submissive ones. I think some of that thinking may go back to the Protestant understanding of creation...that Adam was first and Eve came from Adam. It was presented as if she was made for him, without any independence or autonomy of her own. I recently took a course through Notre Dame's STEP program on Theology of the Body and learned of Original Solitude. It was enlightening to read that Adam's joy upon seeing/meeting Eve was not necessarily sexual (the whole wo-man! joke in church) but that she was a human, one of him, as opposed to the other animals that were present. Here was someone he could truly commune with. Such a completely new (and welcomed) perspective for me.
While I'm sure there are some slices of Protestants that the essay describes well, I have not personally experienced being ruled or controlled and found that part to be a bit extreme with the "always" and "never." I see how it could develop if the teaching is taken to its extreme but it wasn't like that for everyone.
I was surprised to read that the Church teaches it is wrong for economic issues to force the mother to leave her young children for the workforce. It was surprising because it can appear that it is well accepted amongst Catholics for the woman to work outside the home and that maybe staying home wasn't the goal since a woman isn't just made for the man. So the emphasis that the mother should be able to be with her children is refreshing. I found this to ring true to my experience-my desire was to be with my kids. Today, I think it takes some real untangling of desires to determine if it is economic demands or something more personal that leads women outside the home. I say that as a married woman with kids who works outside the home.
Thank you for so much to consider and pray over!
Thank you so much for that thoughtful comment. And I agree: I love the teachings on Original Solitude. I definitely didn’t mean to convey that ALL Protestants think this way. Like with Catholics, it is certain fundamentalist groups within the overall community. And the key word for moms working outside the home is “force.” The Church doesn’t want to see any woman forced to be away from her children because of economic necessity. There is quite a bit in Familiaris Consortio about this. She leaves most questions about work and motherhood to individual discernment, but does stress the importance of the mother being in the home when possible, but also calls for women to use their gifts in the world when possible. It’s both/and for her, although with an emphasis on discernment and times/season/individual calling.
Familiaris Consortio is next on my reading list. Thank you again, I always look forward to your writing as I have so much to learn!
Wholeheartedly agree with all you have written. The doctrine of total depravity in no way diminishes the grace of God. Quite the opposite.