A Challenge To
Modern Women
By
'A Formerly Modern Woman'
|
Summary: A challenge to modern women to follow the scriptural
precepts for women.
Keywords: Woman, Women, Womanhood, Ladies, Female, Mother,
Motherhood, Feminism (against), Feminists, Roles, Gender,
Scriptural Precepts For Women, Obedience, Homemaking, Attire,
Appearance |
I am firmly convinced that the devil has an
exceeding hatred for women. Primarily, I believe this is because he was
conquered by the Woman promised in Genesis (she did not conquer him
alone of course, but she was instrumental in the victory, by God's
design). I imagine he, in all his pride, sees that he has lost his
formerly high place in heaven and that the highest place in heaven for a
creature now belongs to a humble woman (the Blessed Virgin Mary).
Therefore, I think he gets a sick pleasure by tempting women and causing
their downfall as he sees this as a retribution of sorts against the
gender of the one that crushed his head.
We also know that in Genesis, he chose to tempt
the woman rather than the man. Perhaps he found her an easier target or
perhaps he figured she would ensnare Adam from whom she received her own
flesh.
In any event, we know that God made part of the
punishment for their disobedience that Eve would have to be subject to
Adam (see Gen. 3:16). We also know that Scripture clearly attributes the
Fall to the woman. As Scripture says, "In woman was sin's beginning, and
because of her we all die." (Sirach 25:23) Therefore, each of us
personally suffers and dies due to the disobedience & pride of the first
woman. There's no escaping this fact.
We must also realize that the Bible has assigned
specific roles for women, no matter how much modern women may want to
fight against it.
My purpose for writing this article is to challenge women
to live out the Scriptural teachings regarding women. Women everywhere
claim to love God. They even claim to be willing to do what God wants
"if only they knew what that was". Well, ladies, we do know what God
expects of women. I will discuss some of these expectations below. The
real challenge is whether or not today's woman will follow the prideful
Eve and do her own will or the humble Mary and follow God's will.
What is Expected of Women
According to Holy Scripture, woman is to be (or
have)....
* Obedient to her husband
"Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is
proper in the Lord." (St. Paul, Col. 3:18)
"But I want you to know that Christ is the head
of every man, and a husband the head of his wife, and God the head of
Christ." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 11:3)
"Wives should be subordinate to their husbands
as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is
head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is
subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands
in everything." (St. Paul, Eph. 5:22-24)
* Saved by motherhood
"A woman must receive instruction silently and
under complete control. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have
authority over a man. She must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then
Eve. Further, Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and
transgressed. But she will be saved through motherhood, provided women
persevere in faith and love and holiness, with self-control." (St. Paul,
1 Tm. 2:11-15)
* A homemaker
"Similarly, older women should be reverent in
their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is
good, so that they may train younger women to love their husbands and
children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers, under the
control of their husbands, so that the word of God may not be
discredited." (St. Paul, Ti 2:3-5)
* Modestly dressed
"Similarly, (too,) women should adorn
themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with
braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes,
but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good
deeds." (St. Paul, 1 Tm. 2:9-10)
* Silent in church
"A woman must receive instruction silently and
under complete control. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have
authority over a man. She must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then
Eve. Further, Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and
transgressed. But she will be saved through motherhood, provided women
persevere in faith and love and holiness, with self-control." (St. Paul,
1 Tim. 2:11-15)
"Indeed, the spirits of prophets are under the
prophets' control, since he is not the God of disorder but of peace. As
in all the churches of the holy ones, women should keep silent in the
churches, for they are not allowed to speak, but should be subordinate,
as even the law says. But if they want to learn anything, they should
ask their husbands at home. For it is improper for a woman to speak in
the church. Did the word of God go forth from you? Or has it come to you
alone? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or a spiritual person, he
should recognize that what I am writing to you is a commandment of the
Lord." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 14:32-37)
* Her head covered in prayer
"Any man who prays or prophesies with his head
covered brings shame upon his head. But any woman who prays or
prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head, for it is
one and the same thing as if she had had her head shaved. For if a woman
does not have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off.
But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head
shaved, then she should wear a veil. A man, on the other hand, should
not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God, but woman
is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from
man; nor was man created for woman, but woman for man; for this reason a
woman should have a sign of authority on her head, because of the
angels." (St. Paul,1 Cor. 11:4-10)
* Long hair
"Does not nature itself teach you that if a man
wears his hair long it is a disgrace to him, whereas if a woman has long
hair it is her glory, because long hair has been given (her) for a
covering?" (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 11:14-15)
* Feminine attire
"A woman shall not wear an article proper to a
man, nor shall a man put on a woman's dress; for anyone who does such
things is an abomination to the LORD, your God." (Deut. 22:5)
Therefore, I challenge you, modern woman...
* Be obedient to your husband
* Have as many children as God blesses you and your husband with (no
contraceptives and no "NFP" used as birth control)
* Give up your career, married women, for motherhood [as Scripture
indicates (see Gen. 3:16-19), it is the man who is called to labor - the
woman is called to motherhood)]
"Stumble not through woman's beauty, nor be
greedy for her wealth; The man is a slave, in disgrace and shame, when a
wife supports her husband." (Sirach 25:20-21)
"[A] woman is by nature fitted for home-work,
and it is that which is best adapted at once to preserve her modesty and
to promote the good bringing up of children and the well-being of the
family." (Pope Leo XIII)
Even the Second Vatican Council said that "The
children, especially the younger among them, need the care of their
mother at home."
* Homeschool your children
* Dress modestly and NEVER wear trousers (pants)
"When we see a woman in trousers (pants), we
should think not so much of her as of all mankind, of what it will be
when women will have masculinized themselves for good. Nobody stands to
gain by helping to bring about a future age of vagueness, ambiguity,
imperfection and, in a word, monstrosities." (Cardinal Siri, 1960 A.D.)
* Grow your hair long and cover your head in prayer
* Don't engage in vanities (e.g. dying graying hair)
"What place have rouge and white lead on the
face of a Christian woman? The one simulates the natural red of the
cheeks and of the lips; the other the whiteness of the face and of the
neck. They serve only to inflame young men's passions, to stimulate
lust, and to indicate an unchaste mind. How can a woman weep for her
sins whose tears lay bare her true complexion and mark furrows on her
cheeks? Such adorning is not of the Lord; a mask of this kind belongs to
Antichrist. With what confidence can a woman raise features to heaven
which her Creator must fail to recognize?" (St. Jerome)
"Let us then 'glorify God,' and bear God both
'in our body and in our spirit.' (1 Cor. 6:20). And how is one to
glorify Him in the body? saith one, and how in the spirit? The soul is
here called the spirit to distinguish it from the body. But how may we
glorify Him in the body and in the spirit? He glorifies Him in the body,
who does not commit adultery or fornication, who avoids gluttony and
drunkenness, who does not affect a showy exterior, who makes such
provision for himself as is sufficient for health only: and so the
woman, who does not perfume nor paint her person, but is satisfied to be
such as God made her, and adds no device of her own. For why dost thou
add thy own embellishments to the work which God made? Is not His
workmanship sufficient for thee? or dost thou endeavor to add grace to
it, as if forsooth thou wert the better artist? It is not for thyself,
but to attract crowds of lovers, that thou thus adornest thy person, and
insultest thy Creator. " (St. John Chrysostom)
* Get out of the sanctuary at church
"Women may not go to the altar." (Council of
Laodicea, Canon 44)
"However learned and holy a woman may be, she
must not presume to teach men in the church" (Council of Carthage IV)
"To touch the sacred species and to distribute
them with their own hands is a privilege of the ordained [priests]" (Pope John
Paul II)
* Be quiet in church
"Silence in the presence of the Lord GOD!" (Zeph.
1:7)
"But the LORD is in his holy temple; silence
before him, all the earth!" (Hab. 2:20)
"As in all the churches of the holy ones, women
should keep silent in the churches, for they are not allowed to speak,
but should be subordinate, as even the law says" (St. Paul, 1 Cor.
14:33-34)
Furthermore...
* Do not handle the Holy Eucharist
"To safeguard in every possible way the dignity
of so august a Sacrament, not only is the power of its administration
entrusted exclusively to priests, but the Church has also prohibited by
law any but consecrated persons, unless some case of great necessity
intervene, to dare handle or touch the sacred vessels, the linen, or
other instruments necessary to its completion." (Catechism of the
Council of Trent)
* Leave the choir singing to men
"On the same principle it follows that singers
in church have a real liturgical office, and that therefore women, being
incapable of exercising such office, cannot be admitted to form part of
the choir. Whenever, then, it is desired to employ the acute voices of
sopranos and contraltos, these parts must be taken by boys, according to
the most ancient usage of the Church." (Pope St. Pius X)
* Stop asking girls what they want to "be" or women what they "do"
* Don't praise career women - praise mothers
* Don't drive men around (unless they are physically handicapped)
* Be humble
* Let the man open the door for you - in fact, wait for him to do it
* Insist on marrying a man who will support you and your children
[remember that the "The primary end of marriage is the procreation and
education of children" (1917 Code of Canon Law, Can. 1013 § 1)]
* Do not tolerate the divorce mentality
"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries
another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from
her husband commits adultery." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lk. 16:18)
"A ratified and consummated valid marriage can
be dissolved by no human power and for no cause, outside of death."
(1917 Code of Canon Law, Can. 1118)
* Don't act like you are a man (in speech, dress, or action)
* Embrace your femininity
Remember to use the Blessed Virgin as your guide.
In the end, you may find, as I did, that things
you formerly thought were difficult can become easy - and very
rewarding. Keep in mind that if God has assigned certain roles for
women, you can be assured that they are best for women and will make
them happiest - both now and in eternity. For your good, for the good of
your family, and for the good
of society, start now. It's not too late!
Finally, don't forget that Jesus says "If you love
me, you will keep my commandments." (Jn. 14:15) So if you choose not to
follow the Almighty God's plan for womanhood do you really believe you
love Him? Do you really believe he will accept your pride & disobedience
and welcome you in into heaven? Do you pretend that you can safely
"disagree" with Almighty God's plan for women? Or rather will you end up conquered by the devil who hates women so and uses their own
pride to cause their downfall?
 Signature:
'A Formerly Modern Woman'
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