THE HEART OF A WOMAN IS THE GENIUS OF GOD

HEART OF A COUNTRY, NATION & FAMILY

OPENING:

From Eve the first woman down through the ages to that pivotal miraculous moment where time is split in 2 by the courageous “Yes” of a 15 year old woman Mary who accepted the greatest gift known to all of creation to carry within her womb Jesus Christ, the God of pure love in a chosen pure vessel Mary who now was given to all of humanity as spiritual Mother and Queen to us all. She was never to be worshipped but shown to be respected honored and truly loved as all women should have been and should continue to be.

THE REST OF THE STORY

In the beginning, everything was heavenly in the garden. So, what happened?

In the beginning (Genesis 2:7) paraphrasing in modern terms: God is walking in the garden with Adam and He says to Adam “We have named all the animals and none really fit you. So, I will take an arm and a leg from you and make you a Woman”

Adam cries out “Oh no. not an arm and a leg? Can’t you just take one of my ribs. I have a spare one you know!?

Well alright I will take one of your spare ribs but I am going to make it a truly Prime Rib.”

Now when Adam awoke and saw Eve Genesis 2:23 He reveals what every man has since expressed as he looked upon her beauty “WOW” …bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh to be cherished and loved as God’s most precious gift. God truly saved the best for last.

However, Now, we come to Genesis 3 – and we have Eve talking to the Serpent. Please understand he is the devil and he is not a little slimy old snake. God later turned the serpent into a snake. What Eve saw was quite intimidating. The same Hebrew word for “serpent: here is the same described serpent in Revelations 12

“I saw a woman (Mary) – Clothed with the sun …and a crown of 12 stars on her head…ready to give birth. When suddenly a red “Serpent” Dragon appeared with 7 heads and 10 horns and 7 crowns on its head…and as he stood before her ready to kill devour her child…

A LESSON LEARNED

Now back to the garden where Eve is about to be devoured by the Evil one’s lies and where was Adam?. He was standing next to her listening to the fearful looking creature and watching Eve, his precious woman intimidated. What should he and all us men do when women are attacked? Adam could have stepped in front of Eve and say: “Don’t mess with my woman and get the hell out!”  to protect and even lay down his life for her as St. Paul says in Hebrew 5:19  

“Wives are to be submissive to their husbands and husbands are to lay down their lives as Christ did for His Church!”

Back to the garden, Adam forgot who he is and lost sight of what his role as a Man was. All men have continued to battle and lose as the Devil laughs at how easily he can fool human beings with their pride, greed, lust and power which is all so fleeting. To treat people particularly women as objects and in turn women lose their dignity so much so that she allows the child within her to be devoured by the serpent dragon. And so here it begins the notion that human beings are EXPENDABLE.

As history continues to unfold it forgets where and how, without women there would be no race no births. Some civilizations have proved this by their own undoing their lack of respect for life.

ICorinth. 11:7 The Glory of Humanity is a Woman! Because only they would give up everything even to sacrifice themselves to allow the time it took for love to grow within her.

And when birth brings forth the child a women’s tears turn into utter joy as she nurses and sings her love songs rocking her precious gift from God.

MY STORY

When I was born I was to be named William after my grandfather but my mother said when she looked at me she said “He looks like a Tommy”

Never underestimate the Holy Spirit and God’s unfolding plan and if you are given a name that is not from a saint don’t despair for God thinks it time to have one with that name. You.

Another gift Mothers and spiritual mothers have is their gentleness and kindness and the ability to sing from the heart sweet soft love songs, like my Mom when I was a baby (don’t know how I remember) would sing her favorite song to me as I felt warm and secure in her arms:

“I love you a bushel and a peck – a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck – a hug around the neck…”

And as I fell quietly asleep there was no other place I would rather be. It was heavenly.

TOOL BOX

Some of the last words of Jesus from the cross had to mean an awful lot because every breath was excruciating. So, when Jesus gave His Mother to us and later raised her to heaven and crowned her our Queen and Mother, you’d think we would honor and respect and love Her for Jesus’ sake and at least take Him at his word. Which in turn – Mary says to all: “Do whatever He tells you!”

 

Mary is not a god or goddess. She is our Mother who loves all of her children. She is the one who prays for us and asks us to pray with her especially in the power of the Rosary and the great Mysteries of Jesus’ life.  Here she reaches and takes our hand as she tells us how much God loves us and how much through the Holy Spirit her soft warm motherly love embraces all because God knew there would be times we would need her as Mom who comforts and leads us back home.

Just a note:

It takes about 15 minutes to pray the rosary which equals about 1% of 1,440 minutes 24 hours. When you love someone very much you want to spend as much time with them as possible

On another note: At the end of this reflection, you will find an article written by Bishop Kenneth Povish of Lansing MI. on “Mary the Immaculate One” and on how her life really reflects all women in any given situation in any age.

HISTORICALLY INTERESTING

  1. Women have inspired and led and created and loved like no other man could. Now men are strong, but women are tuff and wiser. Prove it you say: Well from God’s viewpoint answer me this “What was the first thing God created?” Not love for we are all born in love. Answer is not in Genesis either. Read Proverbs 8:14-32 and Proverbs 4:7  Wisdom is defined as a woman: “She will…” Well, read for yourself.
  2. Women reflect the courage devotion and selflessness while doing it quietly going beyond fears. Their love is so powerful a woman only has to look and men’s hearts will melt. Like your own Mother when she looked at your Dad while courting or when her child has done something naughty or nice. We all remember her and her wisdom. The list can go on and on – many are not saints but at times they become saintly. And then there are those women the unsung heroes who throughout history continue to prove that a man, a family a nation is only as great as the women behind them encouraging praying that they all might come to their senses. Like the courageous women of the Orange and the Green of Ireland who made the men stop the bloody killing of their sons and daughters and families by using their powerful secret weapon and the fighting stopped.
  3. Like Rebeka in Genesis 24:14. Now on the surface whenever we read the Bible we have to understand the deeper mean of those times in history in that period of economic and social climate. Rebeka comes to the well to bring up water and there meets Jacob’s servant and his caravan of 10 camels. What is significant is what she says: “I will bring your men water and bring water to your animals.” What is not revealed to us but yet very shocking to the men at that time is Rebeka was willing to give water not only to the men but those 10 camels as well. Understand, a camel can drink up to 30 gallons and there were 10 of them.  Do you get it? She was willing without a thought to herself because her love was greater to go beyond what was not even asked.
  4. Jesus at the last supper washes the disciple’s feet John 13. But who washed Jesus’ feet? Answer is not here, but found in Luke7:3 , Matthew 26:6 and Mark  14:3  It is a women who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair. Who would do such an act of humility and kindness? Found only in a woman’s loving heart.
  5. Then in John 8:1 a woman is brought to Jesus caught in adultery. Men are ready to stone her. What does Jesus do? He’s writing in the sand and slowly those men blinded by self- righteousness leave. Why? Well, do you know what Jesus was writing?  Names of all those who had used this woman as an object of their lust and they suddenly remembered what the mosaic law in Leviticus 10:20 says: “Both the man and the woman are to be punished.”
  6. Finally, some of us good men who have and do hold ourselves accountable in such organizations as Knights of Columbus who in Fr. McGivney’s parish in Pittsburg was moved with compassion of how widows and their families were treated and did something about it. And there are other such organizations. Yet in the market place the lust filled media continues to grow and entice wrong images of women. Do you realize that if all men would zip it up and treat all women with true respect and dignity, we would never have to deal with the abortion industry. Maybe the cure is just another impossible dream. But not for the Man of La Mancha. Don Quixote!

THE KNIGHT OF LA MANCHA SCENE AND WHAT’S IN A NAME

As the scene unfolds, Don Quixote, a woeful old tired Knight comes into a village where some men are treating a whore named Aldonza poorly and he chases them away but as he sees this women all battered and torn his eyes sees someone different and he calls her by another name “Dolcenea” and sings to her and finally with persistent love convinces her she really is not a whore or some lustful object but a woman of dignity who is loved and can love. What she found was that we all need someone who will love us. Someone who cares. Someone who by being with them is like coming home. So once again Don Quixote the woeful tired old knight stands in the market place in the village and defends his Dolcenea one more time However this time he lays broken and dying

Dolcenea’s heart breaks at the site of her brave knight and her love is so moved with compassion as Don Quixote lays there dying and in despair he says he has forgotten who he was and that there wasn’t a Dream and all is lost. However, it is Dolcenea who must now reach out and she says to him… “But you must remember” and He says: “What did I say to you? Tell me the words”

“To dream the impossible dream.

To fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong

To love pure and chaste from afar

To try when your arms are too weary

To reach the unreachable star”

 

TOOL BOX   And Don Quixote remembers! But will we?

Who stands up anymore when a woman comes into a room?

Who will hold a door, move a chair or respect her presence?

Who will follow her into battle or lay down their life?

Who will be there in joy, sorrow, or sickness to comfort?

 

As a thoughtful prayer try the following from 1Corinth.13:4 but wherever the word “love” appears instead put your NAME.

For Love is always patient and kind

Love is never jealous

Love is never boastful nor conceited.

Love is never rude or selfish

Love never takes offence and is not recentful

Love delights in the truth

Love is always ready to put up with everything, trust in everything

And to hope and endure whatever comes

For love never gives up

 

Resources: Theology of the Body And letter of the Dignity of Women by St. John Paul I I. On the Dignity and Vocation of Women by Genevieve Kineke. Lumen Gentium chap. 8. Through the Eyes of Jesus by Alan Ames vol.1 pp50-60.  Movie “Cabrini”.