The Dignity of Women
“The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women.” Well-known and wise, Bishop Fulton Sheen understood the value of women in society and proclaimed the truth of our immeasurable worth to the world.
Ladies, do we understand our dignity? The force of our femininity? The impact of our intuition? The mark of our maternity? Bishop Fulton Sheen sure did, and he declared that us women have the power to change the world! However, we can only do so once we embrace our femininity. That is, our unique essence as women.
Of course, every woman is different. In fact, there are about 4 billion women in the world which means there are about 4 billion ways of being a woman! That being said, being feminine does not mean wearing frilly pink skirts and makeup. Rather, being feminine means being who we are as women, different from, yet complementary to men. What a gift!
Although every woman is unique, each of us has inherent feminine qualities such as receptivity, sensitivity, maternity, generosity, and intuition which come naturally to us. Furthermore, we all have the beautiful task of coming to understand our personal femininity and inviting men to do the same.
To more deeply appreciate our womanhood and understand our femininity, let’s journey back to the Garden where woman was created…
“It is not good for man to be alone,” God said to Adam after forming him and all of the plants and animals. The Lord knew something important was missing, something man could not live without: woman!
Man needs woman. Thus, the Lord formed Eve, the culmination of God’s design. Ladies, we are the pinnacle of all creation!
Filled with awe, Adam gazed at Eve with perfect love, utterly amazed by her beauty and worth. Receiving his gaze, Eve perfectly understood her dignity as a woman.
Like Eve, we too are called to perfectly understand our dignity as women. When we do so, we are not only treating ourselves with respect, but we are also learning how to live more virtuously, calling men higher, and ultimately establishing a rightly ordered culture. Our femininity is so powerful!
Here are three tips to help us understand and communicate our dignity as women:
- Develop a relationship with Mary
Created without sin, Mary is the perfect woman. At first thought, her sinless nature may seem unapproachable. However, being fully human, Mary wants to relate to each of us women in a special way. Meditating on the mysteries of the rosary is a great way to better understand her femininity, and in turn, better understand ours.
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” – Luke 1:38
- Create awesome female friendships
We need good people to help us get to Heaven, but we specifically need good women. Awesome female friends should remind us of our worth, form us, and challenge us. If you are struggling to find good female friends, I suggest looking into local volunteer opportunities, your college campus ministry center, or your parish’s young adult group.
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” – Proverbs 27:17
- Dress modestly
When we dress with dignity, we invite people to look beyond the physical and into the personal. It’s been said that dressing immodestly does not show too much, but rather too little – too little about who we are as persons!
“Your beauty should be that of your inner self.” – 1 Peter 3:3
Ladies, it is so important we understand our beauty, worth, and dignity as women if we want to create a beautiful, balanced culture. Today, I pray all of us women come to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for our femininity!
