St. Anne with the Virgin, 15th Century
I wanted to offer an extra post today in honor of mothers and mothering. And I selected the above icon because of something that has troubled me for a long, long time now. I wonder how it affects little girls over the years growing up in the Church that on no occasion in the Bible do people rejoice because a DAUGHTER is born.
Even though the stories about the birth of the Virgin Mary are extra-scriptural legends, at least they portray a mother and child in which the child is a girl.
So, happy Mother's Day all you mothers out there. And to the daughters and sons as well!
~~~
An especially important consideration in light of recent news about the treatment of girls and female infants in India. But it's not only India where girls are devalued, it is true in many 3rd world nations. The irony is that often times it is the girls and the women who labor to support men who do very little, especially among the poorest groups. I've witnessed that first hand in Guatemala.
ReplyDeleteOh Sister Ellie, there are so many women out there who have given up on Christianity and the church because it is so male-focused. So many. I can't begin to tell you how many stories I've heard from some of these women about feelings of distance and alienation and all that, seeing only male figures venerated and worshipped in the church. It's one of the key reasons why an alternative spirituality movement centered around Goddess has blossomed so.
ReplyDelete