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 H. A. MORIN. C.SS.R. 
 
ON THE 
 IMPORTANCE 
 ...OF... 
 WOMEN 
 
 H. Morin, C.SS.R. 
 
 Copyright 1961 
 
 LIGUORIAN PAMPHLETS 
 REDEMPTORIST FATHERS 
 
 Liguori, Missouri 
 
The true dignity of Christian woman 
 is unfolded quietly in the pages of 
 St. Luke's Gospel. 
 
 2§£ 
 
 Imprimi Potest: 
 ?ohn N. McCormick, C.SS.R. 
 Provincial, St. Louis Province, 
 Redemptorist Fathers 
 
 January 2, 1961 
 
 Imprimatur: 
 St. Louis, January 5, 1961 
 Joseph E. Ritter 
 Archbishop of St. Louis 
 
ON THE 
 IMPORTANCE 
 O F 
 
 • • • J. « • • 
 
 WOMEN 
 
 H. Morin, C.SS.R. 
 
 
 There is no easier way of shattering 
 the peace and calm of a woman than by 
 quoting a text of the Bible that puts her 
 in a fairly bad light. For the world of a 
 woman is a sensitive and delicate one. 
 If you have lost an argument to a woman 
 it is easy to gain a moral victory by giv- 
 ing her the impression that you are really 
 right and she is really wrong; but for the 
 sake of peace you do not want to ruffle 
 her composure. You do this by quoting 
 the Bible that says: "It is better to sit in 
 a corner of the housetop than with a 
 brawling woman." 
 
 — 3 — 
 
In this regard St. Paul stands in a very 
 unpopular light with the women. He has 
 several apparently harsh declarations to 
 women. For instance: "Let women keep 
 silence in the churches ..." Another: 
 "For man is not from woman, but wom- 
 an from man. For man was not created 
 for woman, but woman for man. That is 
 why the woman ought to have a sign of 
 authority over her head, because of the 
 angels ..." 
 
 It is true that the Bible does carry a 
 few apparently harsh statements directed 
 to women. But in order to appreciate 
 their true worth each of these statements 
 must be read in its original context. Oth- 
 erwise there is real cause for a red-hot 
 argument. 
 
 However, in spite of the harsh quota- 
 tions of the Bible that are directed to 
 women, let it be known here and now 
 that women play an important and dig- 
 
 —4— 
 
nified part in the over-all economy of 
 salvation as depicted in the New Testa- 
 ment. 
 
 The Dignity of Woman 
 
 And St. Luke is the one writer (he is 
 the author of the Acts of the Apostles 
 and the Gospel of Jesus Christ) who fa- 
 vors the dignity of women, as balanced 
 against a hitherto previous pagan attitude 
 toward the fairer sex. Until the time of 
 Christ, Jewish rabbis seriously discussed 
 the problem of whether women had souls! 
 Even after the death of Christ and His 
 ascension into heaven, we find a pagan 
 attitude toward women that is frighten- 
 ing. We also find the results of this pagan 
 attitude in St. Paul's blistering litany of 
 social evils that existed during his time. 
 In his letter to the Romans St. Paul out- 
 lines no less than twenty-six moral mal- 
 adies that were corroding the heart of the 
 world. And he ends this passage with the 
 terrifying note that the people of that 
 
 — 5 — 
 
time were "hateful to God, without affec- 
 tion, without fidelity, without mercy ..." 
 All because women were considered chat- 
 tels and tools of convenience. 
 
 Then comes St. Luke. He begins his 
 Gospel by saying: "I . . . have deter- 
 mined, after following up all things care- 
 fully from the very first, to write ... an 
 orderly account, that you may understand 
 the certainty of the words in which you 
 have been instructed ..." The theme 
 that runs through the whole Gospel of 
 St. Luke is that all men and women are 
 to be saved. From now on women are 
 to take the position of dignity that God 
 gave them. In fact, through the Gospel of 
 Jesus Christ, they are to receive a new 
 dignity, such as the ancient world had 
 refused to give them. Because women, 
 the world over, are sensitive and delicate, 
 St. Luke displays these two qualities when 
 pointing out the place they are to take 
 in the economy of the New Testament. 
 
The Mother of St. John 
 The Baptist 
 
 Take the example of St. Elizabeth, the 
 mother of St. John the Baptist. She was 
 an old woman, one who would have been 
 considered useless in the progressive pa- 
 gan world. Jewish women at that time 
 considered it a reproach to be without 
 a child. They were looked upon with 
 shame for an event over which they had 
 no physical control. But when Elizabeth 
 was to have a child in her old age, St. 
 Luke writes about this boldly. He puts 
 the words of the news in the mouth of an 
 angel talking to Elizabeth's cousin: "and 
 she who was called barren is now in her 
 sixth month; for nothing is impossible 
 with God ..." 
 
 During her pregnancy Elizabeth went 
 in hiding. Why? Certainly not for shame 
 because she herself had said: "Thus has 
 the Lord dealt with me in the days when 
 
 — 7 — 
 
he deigned to take away my reproach 
 among men." A woman as old as Eliza- 
 beth naturally knew that the neighbors 
 would talk at this sudden turn of events 
 in the life of Zachary and herself. This 
 would be a conversation piece for a long 
 time to come. But more than that, the 
 conception of St, John in the womb of 
 an old woman held the aura of a divine 
 secret, at least in the mind of Elizabeth. 
 And Mary, her cousin, was the first to 
 share it. 
 
 The Woman Named Anna 
 
 Another stroke in favor of a woman's 
 dignity is St. Luke's mention of the 
 prophetess, Anna, who, together with the 
 old man Simeon, welcomed the presenta- 
 tion of the Child Jesus in the temple. Her 
 father was Phanuel; she came from the 
 tribe of Aser. To offset the pagan attitude 
 toward women, St. Luke shows that she 
 was a women of deep, personal piety. 
 She represented a class of people who 
 waited in hope and holy fear the coming 
 
 — 8 — 
 
of the Messias. She fasted, she prayed, 
 she worshipped, says St. Luke, night and 
 day. The only delicacy he might have in- 
 fringed upon was the fact that he men- 
 tions her age! She lived "by herself as a 
 widow to 84 years." Even while she was 
 giving praise to the Lord by her life, St. 
 Luke points out a w 7 omanly trait which is 
 appreciated: "She spoke of Him to all 
 who were awaiting the redemption of 
 Israel." She was not too quiet; which, 
 according to the traditions of centuries, 
 is about par for the course. 
 
 The Sinful Woman 
 
 St. Luke was not blind to the fact that 
 there were sinful women in the world. 
 But even for them there was hope of sal- 
 vation. He brings this out in his tender 
 treatise of the sinful woman of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 — 9 — 
 
He does not mention her name which 
 is "in harmony with his delicate reserve." 
 Her life had been a reckless one, running 
 from one sin to another. It was common 
 knowledge that she had been a harlot. 
 No doubt she had listened to a sermon 
 or instruction given by Jesus Christ Him- 
 self. Otherwise she would not have come 
 to Him as she did. "When they had heard 
 Him, all the people and the publicans 
 justified God." She recognized Jesus for 
 what He was: God's messenger for her 
 salvation. 
 
 Our Lord was in the house of a Phar- 
 isee when the sinful woman appeared. It 
 was an ordinary thing at that time to 
 anoint the head of an esteemed person. 
 But this woman presumes to anoint 
 Christ's feet. For this Christ treated her 
 with respect and dignity: "Wherefore I 
 say to you, her many sins have been for- 
 given because she shows clear signs that 
 she has loved much." 
 
 — 10 — 
 
Such an attitude did not sit well with 
 Simon, the Pharisee, who had invited our 
 Lord to his house. Simon had treated the 
 woman contemptuously, as though she 
 were irrevocably cut off from God for- 
 ever. This recalled the time our Lord 
 spoke a parable to people like Simon 
 "who trusted in themselves as being just 
 and despised others ..." But now it was 
 time for Christ to point his finger directly 
 at Simon. It is true, the woman was a 
 sinner. But no matter how many sins she 
 committed she could still reach out for 
 the reward of heaven. In less than five 
 minutes she could turn from the lustful 
 love of the body to the love of God. The 
 conclusion is a stinging one that could 
 be lost in the overall picture. But Jesus 
 pointed out clearly to Simon that, if judg- 
 ing from her behaviour, God had forgiven 
 this woman, then Simon could conclude 
 from his own behaviour that God had not 
 forgiven him. 
 
 — ll — 
 
Simon pleaded that Jesus must have 
 been ignorant of what kind of woman this 
 was! But Christ quietly replies that he 
 knows a great deal about her. He knew 
 her so well that he could say with divine 
 truth that even her sins had been taken 
 away. To the woman he said: "Thy faith 
 has saved thee; go in peace." This one 
 sentence sums up the whole theme that 
 runs through the Gospel of St. Luke like 
 a golden thread: God is now on earth in 
 the person and work of Jesus Christ. He 
 is visiting His creatures to save them. 
 Women are as great a part of that salva- 
 tion as any man. . . . 
 
 In The Spread of The Gospel 
 
 More than this, women were even to 
 take an active part in the spread of Chris- 
 tianity. This holds true now as it did in 
 the time of Christ. For a verification of 
 this all we have to do is point with pride 
 to the legion of Catholic sisters who have 
 cut themselves off from the outside world 
 
 — 12 — 
 
in an effort to bring the truths of Christ 
 to children in the classrooms, to the agon- 
 izing in hospitals and leper colonies, to 
 the pagans in and out of our country. 
 
 The Gospel of Jesus Christ introduced, 
 in this regard, a great change in the Chris- 
 tian outlook, owing to the new attitude 
 toward continence. Christ's own purity 
 and that of His mother was undoubtedly 
 attractive. Christ recommended conti- 
 nence to those who would and could 
 take it. 
 
 It can easily be understood how Chris- 
 tians would be marked off as a rather 
 odd lot because of this new idea. On the 
 pagans it would have a shattering effect; 
 and they, no doubt, would be interested 
 in the opinions of the wise men of the 
 time, the equivalent of our psychiatrists. 
 The fact that Christ recommended con- 
 tinence created a new problem among 
 Christians themselves. 
 
 — 13 — 
 
Men — like Peter and James and John 
 — would naturally be chosen as leaders 
 in the work of Christ. In time many of 
 these helpers, like the apostles, would 
 enter the ranks of Christianity as deacons 
 and priests. But at first, there did not 
 seem to be much for younger or even 
 older ladies to do. "Many would become 
 restless; and there was always the ten- 
 dency that they might wish to assert them- 
 selves at the meetings of the Church." For 
 this reason St. Paul admonished them: 
 "Let women keep silence in the churches, 
 for it is not permitted them to speak, but 
 let them be submissive, as the law also 
 says. But if they wish to learn anything let 
 them ask their husbands at home, for it 
 is unseemly for a woman to speak in 
 church." 
 
 Again: "Let a woman learn in silence 
 with all submission. For I do not allow 
 a woman to teach, or to exercise authority 
 over men; but she is to keep quiet . . . " 
 And as we mentioned before, St. Paul 
 
 — 14— 
 
even deigned to tread on the ever-danger- 
 ous ground of telling them how to dress: 
 "But every woman praying or prophesy- 
 ing with her head uncovered disgraces 
 her head." Then suddenly, as if he knew 
 what he was getting into, he quickly adds: 
 "But if anyone is disposed to be conten- 
 tious — we have no such custom, neither 
 have the churches of God ..." 
 
 As though he wanted to soften the tone 
 of St. Paul, with whom he was closely 
 associated in life, St. Luke devotes a brief 
 description to the women who helped our 
 Lord and the disciples in one of their 
 preliminary missionary journeys. He men- 
 tions by name Joanna, the wife of one of 
 Herod's stewards; and Mary Magdalene, 
 and Susanna. He gives a brief insight into 
 the reason for their devotion: "And with 
 Him were the twelve, and certain women 
 who had been cured of evil spirits and 
 infirmities/' He also mentions kindly that 
 they "used to provide for them out of 
 their means." 
 
 — 15 — 
 
In The Sufferings of Christ 
 
 But it is in the last moments of Christ's 
 life that women come to the fore and 
 show the true role of mercy and kindness 
 that is proper to them. The Talmud tells 
 us that one of the cares of certain pious 
 women was to provide spiced wine for 
 dying criminals. The wine the soldiers 
 gave our Lord to drink might well have 
 been first prepared by just such a group 
 of women. 
 
 It is to be remembered that according 
 to tradition our Lord stopped on His way 
 to Calvary and spoke with His mother. 
 The only other time He spoke to anyone 
 was when He spoke to the women of 
 Jerusalem: the same ones, supposedly, 
 who took care of Him in His last needs. 
 
 What He said to them is of special 
 value. Previously He had made the state- 
 
 — 16 — 
 
ment, "Woe to those who are with child, 
 or have infants at the breast in those days 
 . . . " He was speaking then about the 
 destruction of Jerusalem and the terrify- 
 ing days that lay ahead. Now, on His way 
 to Calvary, His statement to the women 
 is strongly reminiscent of the same 
 thought: "Do not weep for Me, but weep 
 for yourselves and your children. For be- 
 hold, days are coming in which men will 
 say: 'Blessed are the barren, and the 
 wombs that never bore, and breasts that 
 never nursed.' Then they will begin to 
 say to the mountains, Tall upon us,' and 
 to the hills, 'Cover us!' For if in the case 
 of the green wood they do these things, 
 what is to happen in the case of the dry?" 
 
 Picture a person enkindling a fire with 
 green and damp wood instead of dry 
 sticks. The application to the present cir- 
 cumstances of Christ's own death and 
 crucifixion is clear. If the divine justice, 
 to all appearances, is now about to fall 
 on those who are just (like these good 
 
 — 17 — 
 
ladies), then how terrifying will it be 
 when the divine justice is to fall on the 
 guilty? St. Peter echoed the same idea 
 years later in one of his letters: "For the 
 time has come for the judgment to begin 
 with the household of God; but if it begin 
 first, with us, what will be the end of 
 those who do not believe in the Gospel 
 of God? And if the just man scarely will 
 be saved, where will the impious and sin- 
 ner appear?" 
 
 Martha and Mary 
 
 Possibly one of the greatest boosts for 
 the dignity of women is given by St. Luke 
 in his touching story of Martha and Mary 
 at Bethany. The scene, it must be remem- 
 bered, indicates a situation that is friendly 
 and familiar. The plain, literal meaning 
 of the circumstances would point to the 
 fact that Jesus came to the house of Mary 
 and Martha as an unexpected guest. It 
 may be supposed also that His disciples 
 
 — 18 — 
 
came with Him. Even one unexpected 
 guest would be enough to send a woman 
 scurrying to the kitchen to prepare a 
 meal. That is what Martha did. But Mary 
 became absorbed in the words of Jesus. 
 
 It would be wrong to suppose that 
 Martha was complaining when she said: 
 "Lord, is it no concern of thine that my 
 sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her 
 therefore to help me ... " Likewise it 
 would be false to interpret Christ's answer 
 as a rebuke. He said: "Martha, Martha, 
 you are anxious and troubled about many 
 things; and yet only one thing is neces- 
 sary." The repetition of her name lends 
 an affectionate tone to the whole scene. 
 Then, too, it would be brash to suppose 
 that Christ, who was kindness itself, 
 would rebuke a woman who was busying 
 herself for Him and His friends. Any 
 guest would be prompted to forestall a lot 
 of bother. A little something to eat would 
 be enough. Don't bother with a lot of 
 fancy preparations. Then He added with 
 
 — 19 — 
 
a faint hint of humor: "Mary has chosen 
 the best part, and it will not be taken 
 from her . . . " She should not be de- 
 prived of the part she has chosen just so 
 she can help with all these preparations 
 which are really unnecessary. 
 
 This passage has always been the clas- 
 sic for the balance to be maintained be- 
 tween the spiritual and material works in 
 the life of a busy woman. A housewife, 
 for instance, is not expected to be on her 
 knees in prayer all the time. It is also 
 necessary for a happy home that she get 
 on her knees occasionally to dust and 
 clean the baseboard of the living room or 
 kitchen. Previous to the coming of Christ, 
 a woman was to bear her children and 
 work. Whether she had a soul or not 
 could be argued back and forth by men 
 over a cup of wine. So for that reason 
 she should be content to stay in the back- 
 ground of society. 
 
 — 20 — 
 
But now women, it was made clear, 
 have as much dignity as men. They were 
 to emerge from the shadows of paganism 
 and play their own individual and collec- 
 tive role in the salvation of all mankind. 
 ... It is interesting to note that up until 
 1950 the incident of Martha and Mary 
 was used in the Mass for the Gospel of 
 the feast of the Assumption. It pointed 
 out with clarity that our Blessed Lady, 
 the queen of all women, in carrying out 
 her role as the mother of Jesus, played 
 the part of Martha, just as any housewife 
 must do. She played also the part of Mary 
 of Bethany in that certain amount of 
 prayer must be blended into a woman's 
 busy day. 
 
 It would be well to note that in regard 
 to her spiritual life, the mother of Jesus 
 was not a church-going quidnunc. She did 
 not wear her religion for everyone to see. 
 She considered herself a maid in the 
 household of God. And rather than talk 
 about her accomplishments in the spirit- 
 
 — 21 — 
 
ual life, or how good she was, or how 
 much work she did, she "kept all these 
 things in her heart ..." 
 
 It is frequently, but erroneously, said 
 that it is a man's world. To prove this, 
 the untutored will often misquote the 
 Holy Bible. The true dignity of a Chris- 
 tian woman is unfolded quietly in the 
 pages of St. Luke's gospel. He has de- 
 fended them with a literary art unexcelled 
 in the history of the world. 
 
 — 22 — 
 
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