The New Feminism

“The moral and spiritual strength of a woman,” wrote Pope John Paul II in Mulieribus Dignitatem, “is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way...a woman is strong because of her awareness of this entrusting...

“Thus the ‘perfect woman’ (cf. Prov 31:10) becomes an irreplaceable support and source of spiritual strength for other people, who perceive the great energies of her spirit. These ‘perfect women’ are owed much by their families, and sometimes by whole nations.”

Indeed sometimes by more than nations. After considering how the femininity of Mary guides men to God, Fr John Saward lists nine such women in his book The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty. He writes, “The immaculate beauty of Mary challenges men to love and look upon women in a more than merely erotic way. True Marian devotion initiates a man into the chivalry of the gospel. It is a Christ-given remedy against the threefold concupiscence, and instrument of the cauterizing fire of the Holy Spirit, purging away the dross of male pride and lust. Turning to their spiritual Mother helps men to be small and therefore strong, small like her in themselves, strong like her in the Spirit of the Father and the Son. Devotion to Our Lady has not been tried and found wanting; it has not been properly tried. The Reformation cut it short, and Europe, the world, has ever since been paying a terrible price.

“In the Middle Ages, the healing influence of devotion to Our Lady was starting to be felt. There was a place for women. The Mother of God was mediating to men and women a sense of the ‘feminine genius’. For the bridal love of the Prince of Heaven, Etheldreda and Frideswide resisted the potentates of the world. A peasant girl, Joan of Arc, took up the sword for the truth of Christ and the honor of France, shaming the lies of the greybeards. In the service of incarnate Wisdom, the abbess of Hildegard excelled as musician, physician, metaphysician, theologian and prophetess. Gertrude, the Mechthilds, and Lady Julian received revelations from the Heart of Jesus. Ever faithful to the Lamb, Birgitta of Sweden and Catherine of Sienna, widow-queen and virgin-daughter of a dyer, corrected, even commanded, His Vicars [the Popes]. In the lifetime of Fra Angelico, Christine de Pizan (1364-1430) wrote an exhilarating Mary-centred paean of womanhood in L’Epistre au Dieu d’amours. ‘All this tempered male authority’, says Jack Scarisbrick, ‘and…asserted the dignity of womanhood.’”

There is much to ponder here! And the more familiar we are with the women listed, then the more impact Saward's analysis makes.

Below are (sometimes approximate) dates for the lifetimes of the nine women.

Etheldreda 630-679
Frideswide 650-735
Hildegard 1098-1179
The Mechthilde 1210-1285
Gertrude the Great 1256-1302
Bridget of Sweden 1303-1373
Julian of Norwich 1342-1416
Catherine of Sienna 1347-1380
Christine de Pizan 1364-1430
Joan of Arc 1412-1431

And at the end of the Middle Ages, building on what all these women had achieved, indeed pro-active in bringing the world to a new stage of awareness, is the Servant of God Queen Isabel (1451-1504). Isabel reached unprecedented heights in what was formerly a man’s world. She became the pre-eminent political person in the world’s pre-eminent political power (and indeed she forged Spain to be such). Yet it was not in opposition to Isabel’s roles as devoted wife, loving mother and prayerful daughter of Mary that she achieved this, but in many respects it was a very fruit of her feminine vocation.

Was it in reaction to these developments that in the following century the world launched its most furious attack yet on womanhood? More to follow. Meanwhile we welcome your comments.

[Image: The Blessed Virgin of Vladimir, icon]

Isabel & Islam

Isabel won the longest war in history achieving in 1492 what 24 generations of kings had been unable to do: she and Ferdinand won back Andalusia from the Moors. William Thomas Walsh describes how, “All Europe joyfully celebrated the reconquest of Granada...Men felt the regaining of Granada in the west was a compensation for the loss of Constantinople in the east…Bonfires blazed and churchbells rang deliriously from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.”

In Rome when Pope Innocent VIII received the news he and the cardinals made a solemn procession from the Vatican to the Spanish Church of St James. The celebrations in Italy and elsewhere lasted several days. Walsh writes, “When the news reached England, [King] Henry VII commanded all the nobles and prelates who were in the Court to march with the Lord Mayor and Aldemen of London in great solemnity to the Church of St Paul. There the Lord Chancellor addressed them, saying, ‘These many years the Christians have not gained new ground or territory upon the infidels, nor enlarged and set farther the bounds of the Christian world. But this is now done by the prowess and devotion of Fernando and Isabel, sovereigns of Spain, who to their immortal honour have recovered the great and rich kingdom of Granada from the Moors…for which this assembly and all Christians are to render [praise] and thanks to God, and to celebrate this noble act of the King of Spain…’”

In 2003 one of al-Qaeda chief theoreticians, Yussuf al-Ayyeri, wrote that democracy in Iraq would “represent Islam’s biggest defeat since the loss of Andalusia.”

Even at this epochal moment, Isabel was gracious and just. Isabel and Ferdinand’s terms of victory stated: “It is established and agreed that the governors and officers of justice appointed by Their Highnesses shall be such as will be capable of respecting the Moors, and treating them well.” Thus, according to French historian Louis Bertrand, the Moors “were of course granted complete liberty of conscience and freedom of public worship. They preserved their mosques, their minarets, and their muezzins. Conversions to Christianity were to be unforced. Christian soldiers were forbidden to enter the mosques without the permission of the faquis, to go into Moorish houses, steal fowl or beasts, or give balls or feasts against the wishes of the inhabitants.”

The terms further stated: “The Moors shall be judged by their own laws, in accordance with the decisions of their cadis. They shall maintain, and be maintained in, their usages and good customs.” Despite these generous conditions the policy failed. The Moors preferred not to live under Catholic monarchs and fought to regain dominion, aided as ever by armies from North Africa. Thus, in 1502, on political grounds the Moors were expelled.

[Image: The Rendition of Granada by Francisco Pradilla Ortiz, 1878]

Discovery and Evangelisation of the Americas

Queen Isabel’s sponsorship of the exploration of the Atlantic by Christopher Columbus led to the discovery of the New World, perhaps the single most significant historical event of the second millennium.

Isabel's decision required vision and sacrifice. Every monarch of the age had countless petitions coming to them. Columbus had been spurned elsewhere. But Isabel listened. Despite opposition from her own court she supported his voyage and when the discovery of the new lands was reported Isabel understood the spiritual opportunity and responsibility. Royal decrees from 1493 show her priority was evangelisation.

When Columbus returned from his second voyage with Indians as slaves Isabel was indignant, saying no one had permission to make slaves of her subjects. She had the Indians freed and on 29th July 1496 became Godmother to the first who were baptised.

In 1501, Queen Isabel instructed Nicholas de Ovando, Governor of Hispanola, “We desire that the Indians should be converted to our Catholic faith and their souls saved, since this is the greatest good one can wish for, so for this reason the Indians should be informed of everything about our Faith.”

And so it is that today more than half the world’s Catholics live in countries evangelised from Spain, the greatest evangelisation in Church history since the apostles. The Spanish evangelisation reached almost all of South America, Central America, Mexico, the Southwest USA and later the Philippines. Religious orders born from Isabel’s reforms included the Jesuits, who reached, notably, China, India, Japan, Canada and elsewhere.

Thanks to Isabel’s support of Columbus, the two hemispheres of the globe were united for the first time in international exchange of ideas and goods.

[Image: Christopher Columbus lands in Hispaniola, October 1492]

Servant of God, Queen of Faith

Love seeks to honour every aspect of the Beloved. Thus Isabel's surpassing love of Jesus showed itself in her devotion to the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother and the Pope, who are the Real Presence of Christ, the Mother of Christ and the Vicar of Christ.

The Eucharist
Isabel wrote to the Bishops of Castile: “In many of the local churches of our diocese the Blessed Sacrament is not treated with the proper solemnity and reverence, nor is it kept in a silver container or replaced at the appropriate times. I wanted to write to you about this—she says to the bishops—asking you then to make a visit to these churches and give orders so that all the above-mentioned may be provided and done as it should be in the service of God our Lord.”

The Virgin Mother of God
370 years before the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was declared, Isabel co-founded in 1484 the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception with her friend St. Beatriz de Silva. The order is still thriving today.

Queen Isabel wrote to Pope Alexander VI: “I entreat your Holiness to see that no one, whatever law or government he may live under, should dare to contradict the teaching about the Immaculate Conception, since from it so much good comes for the service of the Lord.”

The Pope--Christ's representative on earth
In a typical letter of hers to the Pope, Isabel wrote: “Very Holy Father. From Your devoted and very humble daughter, Queen of Castile, of Leon, of Aragon, of Sicily, of Granada, etc. I kiss your holy hands and feet and I commend to Your Holiness what I have written to my ambassador who resides in the court of Your Holiness, so that on my behalf he would ask you for some things concerning the foundation and endowment of a college. Very humbly I ask Your Holiness to hear him and believe him and to order it to be done the best way possible, which I will receive as a very singular grace and benefit from Your Holiness whose very holy person may the Lord Our God at all times guard and make prosper for the good ordering of His Universal Church. Written in Seville the 20th of March, 1500. Your Holiness I remain your very humble and devout daughter that kisses your holy hands and feet. The Queen of Castile, of Aragon and Granada.”

Isabel's piety was manifest in many other ways--her care for the weak and the poor, her generosity to the Church, her assistance every day at Holy Mass and reciting the Divine Office each day. This blog will post on each in due course.

[Image: Dream of St John Bosco, 1862; Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, Turin. The barque of St Peter is safely secured to the pillars of the Eucharist and the Virgin.]

Greatest woman?

Queen Isabel is possibly the greatest woman in history after the Mother of God.

An objective measure of historical greatness is to consider how many people someone influenced (positively) whether in their own lifetime or subsequently. Below we list seven of Isabel's most outstanding qualities and accomplishments. There are not many--men or women--with such a solid record.

(When we talk here of greatness, we do not mean ‘holiness’. While the Vatican has already recognised Isabel as a Servant of God, the question of who, after the Mother of God, is the holiest woman in history is one we cannot even begin to answer: the field is very crowded!)

Seven outstanding qualities and achievements of Queen Isabel:

Holy reform of the Church. In the 16th century the Church underwent savage doctrinal and personal attacks. Across Europe Christendom was divided and shattered. But in Spain the Church remained intact—undivided and loyal to Rome—even until today. Fundamental to this strength and purity were the exacting religious and ecclesial reforms initiated by Queen Isabel.

Discovery and evangelisation of the Americas. Christopher Columbus was rejected by many monarchs, financiers and scientific experts in Europe as he sought backing for his proposed voyage westwards. But Queen Isabel--a shrewd judge of character--recognised his vision and determination and against advice she sponsored him. Thus in 1492 America was discovered. As soon as Isabel learnt of new lands her priority was evangelisation. Consequently about half the Catholics in the world today--500,000,000 souls--live in lands discovered and evangelised by Spain.

Decisive defence of Christendom. Queen Isabel won the longest war in history, ending 770 years of Islamic invasion and occupation by re-conquering Granada, the last kingdom in Spain to be won back to Christendom. Isabel also gave crucial support for the defence of the Pontifical States, saving the Vatican from potential destruction. And so great was Isabel’s good influence on Jerusalem and the Holy Land that Sultan Kayt Bey (who then controlled the area) and Pope Innocent VIII jointly named Isabel and her husband Ferdinand “Protectors of the Holy Sepulchre”.

Inspired piety. Isabel prayed the Divine Office daily and assisted at Holy Mass daily. She promoted reverence to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary was fervent. Pope Alexander VI gave her the title Isabel "the Catholic" for her service to the Church. Queen Isabel’s Last Will and Codicil ordered a total of 40,000 Masses be said for her and for those who had died in her service.

Devoted wife and mother. Isabel was devoted to her husband Ferdinand throughout their 35-year marriage. Ferdinand himself was not always faithful. Isabel carried the hurt and forgave him. Isabel was also a devoted mother to their five children, taking great care that the children received a strong education. When her five-year-old daughter fell into danger, being imprisoned in 1476 by rebels in the Alcázar of Segovia, Queen Isabel rode right through the hostile mob outside to secure the safety of her child. Isabel’s grandson Charles became the Holy Roman Emperor, father of Phillip II of Spain, who between them continued her great work of defence and zealous propagation of the Catholic Faith, without which Europe may have been stripped of her greatest treasure, and America might hardly have known it.

Incorruptible commitment to justice. From her coronation aged 23 to her death aged 54 Isabel led Spain from broken disorder to becoming the pre-eminent world power and laid the beginnings of an Empire which was to last over 300 years. When Queen Isabel acceded to the throne in 1474 her country was in chaos and the royal court despised across Europe as corrupt. In the cities and in the countryside groaned countless victims of violent crime or corruption of the civil powers. By Isabel’s implacable campaign for justice—showing no favours whatsoever even to the exceedingly rich and powerful—peace and order descended with astonishing rapidity. Powerful people respected her; common people adored her; rogues feared her. Thus the Queen unified 27 separate kingdoms into one strong nation, then brought Spain to the beginning of a Golden Age. The foundation was justice.

Codified universal human rights. Queen Isabel promoted women and opposed slavery. Having studied assiduously herself, Isabel ensured a good education was available to other women in Spain and the Americas. She appointed Beatrice Gallando (b.1475) as Professor of Latin for the Royal Court. Isabel legislated for future women’s right to rule. Isabel liberated untold numbers of slaves in the Canary Islands and the Americas. On her deathbed she dictated her Last Will and Codicil, saying: “…no consent nor place is given for the mistreatment of the Indian natives and inhabitants of said Indies and Mainland, already gotten and still to gain, to their persons or their possessions, but it is so ordered that they be well and justly treated and if they receive any grievance that it be remedied, and that it be provided for…” Building on her foundation, Isabel’s successors created a corpus of legislation—the Laws of the Indies—comprising some 6,000 articles which strongly underlined the dignity, rights and defence of American Indians.

For a person to have one or two of these qualities would mark them as rare, as quite outstanding. To have any three or four of these qualities makes a towering historic figure. But to have all seven! This shows a Divine touch throughout Isabel’s life. As far as we can tell, the explanation for her virtue and her accomplishments is that she gave herself to God from her earliest years and stayed constant throughout. So—to paraphrase St Paul—it was not Isabel who lived, but Christ who lived in her.

We are interested to hear who you think is the greatest woman in history (after your mum) and interested too to hear your reasons...

Daw Suu Kyi--virtue in politics

Who believes that the political world must run on virtue if it is to truly serve people? Who believes that freedom is a fruit of truth? Queen Isabel believed it in her day, and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi believes it today.

The Noble Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 11 of the past 17 years under house arrest. Her crime was to win an landslide victory for freedom against the savage junta in Burma. Daw Suu Kyi could leave Burma at any time, but she refuses to abandon her people and abandon a just cause.

Today a letter signed by 59 former Presidents and Prime Ministers (including US Presidents Carter, Bush and Clinton) has been made public calling on the leader of the Burmese junta Than Shwe to release Daw Suu Kyi and all [1,200] political prisoners in Burma.

Daw Suu Kyi's term of house arrest expires on 27th May 2007--which is the 17th anniversary of her overwhelming election victory of 1990. If she is not released then in June the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is due to issue a legal opinion on her case.

Pray for Daw Suu Kyi, pray for Burma, pray for the military regime.

[Image: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi]

Benedict's book on the Saviour of the World

The English edition of Pope Benedict's book Jesus of Nazareth goes on sale today.

John Allen writes: "Benedict rejects any attempt to minimize the importance of the Old Testament for Christianity...[T]he exegete whom Benedict quotes at greatest length, and with most evident fondness, is Jewish. The pope devotes pages 129-140 to reflections on the book A Rabbi Talks with Jesus by Jacob Neusner, whom Benedict calls a "great intellectual."...He praises the "great love" with which Neusner writes of Jesus, and applauds him for seeing clearly what Benedict believes too many Christian exegetes, in their passion for dissection, fail to grasp: that the Jesus of the New Testament is precisely the Christ of Faith, one who claims for himself the authority that belongs only to God.

"Jesus was not simply another reforming rabbi," Neusner writes, in a passage Benedict cites with approval. "What's in discussion are the claims of authority on the part of Jesus." In that sense, Benedict claims, Neusner "liquidates" the image of Jesus as a preacher of liberal morality promoted by Harnack and others.

Benedict adds that he also wants to walk along the same path with Neusner in order to better understand "our Jewish brothers."

Isabel was a longtime patron and protector of the Jews, something widely over-looked.