Philosophical Reflections With

Matthew M. Umukoro

mattmukoro@gmail.com  (08034052655)

 

 

In the beginning, God created us male and female; the male He called man; the female He called woman. She was created as a helpmate to him, and he was meant to love her as himself. But something went wrong; the devil came into the picture, in the guise of the snake, and our first couple carelessly lost the earthly paradise. Adam blamed Eve for the sinful act of disobedience that led to the loss; but through the obedience of another woman, Mary, paradise was regained, and a second Adam was born, to restore the lost dignity of man. So, right from creation, women have played significant, albeit controversial roles in the affairs of humanity and the Universal Church.

Women easily outnumber men, both in the world and in the Church. By their softer nature, they are better predisposed to serving God, who appeals more to emotional than rational thinking. God certainly took time in creating the woman whom He has endowed with fascinating physical and psychological qualities. Women were beautifully created, while men were handsomely made. As wife and mother, she is the pillar that holds the home.

As a parishioner, she is indispensable to the growth and sustenance of the Church. While we talk of non-coeducational schools comprising only male or female students; the Church cannot afford to be a non-coeducational institution. Both male and female need to cooperate in the affairs of the Church, each having their special roles to play.

It is true that the Catholic Church has not yet yielded to the call for the priestly ordination of women. That is not totally out of the question; it may still happen as the Church continues to evolve. After all, we now have female altar servers which was previously inconceivable. But even without that, women continue to play strategic roles in the affairs of the Church. As Reverend Sisters and Mothers, they are the spiritual light of the Church, and the salt of the Parish. Their presence and prayers are indispensable to the continued growth and survival of the Church as an edifying institution. They are the guardians of morality, and the epitome of all virtues. They are the spiritual mothers of the Church, just as the priests are the spiritual fathers, complementing the divine role of the priest in evangelization.

As married women, they are the geese laying the golden eggs for the parish, by the constant supply of new membership through procreation. Women are the staying power of a nation in distress and the spiritual backbone of the Church. Women are wired for multitasking, while men face challenges one after the other. Women may appear physically weaker; but they are psychologically stronger than men and indispensable to the achievements of men, within the home, the Church, and the society at large. Beside every successful man, there is a powerfully supportive woman. They are the champions of peace, and

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the bastions of justice. What can man do without a woman, and what is it that man does that a woman cannot do? Practically nothing.

From the very beginning, women have found greater favour with God. The greatest honour ever conferred on any human creature is to Mary, the Mother of God. No man can attain any title that comes close to that. Today, Blessed Mother Mary remains the official intercessor to the whole humanity, and the Holy Rosary is the greatest prayer, next only to the Holy Mass. Jesus Christ did not choose female disciples for his earthly Ministry to save them the physical ordeal involved, and keep them at home for their indispensable domestic responsibilities.

But when Jesus resurrected from the dead, it was to a woman, Mary Magdalene that he first showed himself, asking her to go and proclaim the Good News to the rest of the world. On the way to Calvary, while Simon was compelled to temporarily relieve Jesus in carrying the cross, meek Veronica boldly stepped out, defying the cruel soldiers, to wipe the sweat off the face of Jesus, and she instantly received a souvenir of an autograph of his face on that holy cloth. That added a bit of human touch to the entire inhuman scenario of the crucifixion, agonizingly witnessed by Mother Mary. Several other uncountable roles continue to be played in the affairs of the Church and the life of the parish.

The girl-child is an invaluable treasure to the family and a valuable asset to the community as a whole. Parents, particularly fathers, should desist from the condemnable practice of discriminating against the girl-child, and giving all the preference and attention to male children in educational upbringing.  The woman is the mother of the nation, and a society that neglects its women, or looks down on womanhood, does so at its own peril.  All evil practices against women, such as female genital mutilation, child abuse, and domestic violence, stand condemned, and should be desisted from forthwith. Women should be given the maximum protection they deserve to enable them play their divine roles and make necessary contributions to societal growth and national development. Political power should be shared between the sexes, not on the basis of tokenism, but on the platform of fair and adequate gender representation. Although there are odd instances of corrupt female politicians, the woman is, on the average, less corrupt than the man, and more eager to make positive, selfless, and indelible contributions to the moral and socio-political development of a nation. But women are guiltier of indecent dressing to the Church and other places, thus constituting potential spiritual dangers to men. That unhealthy habit must stop forthwith.

In the final analysis, the quality of any society is determined largely by the quality of women who populate it.

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