While a nun, and for a time before, Bernadette suffered great scrutiny and publicity for her visions at Lourdes. Civil authorities such as policemen and prosecutors tried to convince her that she was falsifying the sightings. Even some bishops and priests argued against her. However, as part of her spirituality, Bernadette used the gift of fortitude to stand up to the naysayers. Her faith never vacillated throughout the animadversions of her visions. Bernadette realized that it was a part of God’s plan for her to be the chosen one to see these apparitions, which included standing up to those accusing her of being dishonest (Lord and Lord 219).
While Bernadette was fortified against her disparagers, she was also very humble, especially to the pilgrims flocking to see “the chosen one.” Bernadette abhorred the publicity she was receiving due to her visions. The pilgrims bombarded Bernadette in public, to which Bernadette would reply with wit and humility. For instance when pilgrims asked her if she would sell medals, she responded, “But I am not a shop-keeper” (Lord and Lord 222). One pilgrim had the audacity to ask Bernadette if she could cut a piece of her dress to keep, to which Bernadette retorted wittily, “How very stupid you are!” (Lord and Lord 222). Perhaps best exemplifying Bernadette’s humility, Bernadette testifies to her human nature when a pilgrim asks to be cured by her. Bernadette replies, “What do you take me for? I am like you. I have no power. All I can do is pray for you” (Lord and Lord 222). Keep in mind, Bernadette and her family were bereft. Bernadette could have easily sold medals, rosaries, or even portions of her garments, yet she refused to. While a nun she was interviewed by the local newspaper. The inte...
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... the spring and obey the Immaculate Conception; Bernadette said “yes” to Mary, just as Mary had said “yes” to God.
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Her choices of metaphors are simplistic explanations providing the backdrop for the emotional and spiritual connection we seek in following Christ. The symbolic comparisons of Mary Magdalene, her relationship to Jesus, mirrors some of Julian of Norwich’s personal spiritual journey of prayerful contemplation while seeking intimacy in her relationship to God.
Although the Catholic Church kept nuns enclosed in convents in order to regulate their sexualities, Jeanne de Jussie’s writings highlight some of her own experiences with violence, in addition to offering examples of the stories that Catholics circulated (Crawford 87). In the chronicle, Jeanne de Jussie mentioned issues of domestic conflict incurred by the Reformation; many women were caught between their husband’s wrath and their Catholic faith (de Jussie 95). She also described some of the violence committed by heretics against Catholics; for example, before the heretics locked away the Lords of Bern in an inhumanely small cell, they “villainously grabbed him and pulled him from the pulpit and treated him harshly, so that he almost died there and then” (de Jussie 94). According to Jeanne de Jussie’s accounts, religious people from both sides of the conflict went to war with each other; she described that “good fathers went to battle with many other monks because it was for the religion but they did not bear arms” (de Jussie 79). Women and children also instigated Catholic violence against the heretics; “many of the women . . . carried rocks in their bodices to throw at the Lutherans. Along with the women there were at least seven hundred children between twelve and fifteen who were determined to do their duty with their mothers” (de
Flannery O’Connor believed in the power of religion to give new purpose to life. She saw the fall of the old world, felt the force and presence of God, and her allegorical fictions often portray characters who discover themselves transforming to the Catholic mind. Though her literature does not preach, she uses subtle, thematic undertones and it is apparent that as her characters struggle through violence and pain, divine grace is thrown at them. In her story “Revelation,” the protagonist, Mrs. Turpin, acts sanctimoniously, but ironically the virtue that gives her eminence is what brings about her downfall. Mrs. Turpin’s veneer of so called good behavior fails to fill the void that would bring her to heaven. Grace hits her with force and their illusions, causing a traumatic collapse exposing the emptiness of her philosophy. As Flannery O’Connor said, “In Good Fiction, certain of the details will tend to accumulate meaning from the action of the story itself, and when this happens they become symbolic in the way they work.” (487). The significance is not in the plot or the actual events, but rather the meaning is between the lines.
Some may think that Hildegard is treated, at times, too harshly for her visions. Hildegard finally decides to express her visionary gift, but unfortunately, she is not openly shown ecstatic emotions. She confides in her friend, Volmar, and is greeted with the proper expressions of excitement and enthusiasm. She is also greeted with these expressions from Abbot Kuno, although slow to show at first but eventually persuaded into enthusiastic reviews. However, when a council of monks inspects the products of her gift, she is met with skepticism and denial. These emotions are mainly brought up because of her gender. Many may believe this is reinforced with the lines: “You’re saying that you can understand, but we can’t?”; “To claim to hear secrets that prophets were denied? Outrageous!”; “Only the Holy Father can judge her case”; and “She will probably be expelled from the Church as a heretic!” Not only
is very upset and think that they are the cause of her "death". Also, the Friar
Wilson, Barbara S., Arlene Flancher, and Susan T. Erdey. The Episcopal Handbook. New York, NY: Morehouse Pub., 2008. Print.
when she speaks of and for her people older voices are mixed with hers- the voices of Methodist forebears and preachers who preached the word, the anonymous voices of many who lived and were forgotten and yet out of bondage and hope made a lasting music. (Benet 3-4)
The perception of religion is different for everyone and for the grandmother in the story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, being a lady with good Christian values was how she defined herself. The grandmother’s innocence of the evil existing in the world cost her and her family their lives. The story “Cathedral” however, has a more positive outlook on faith. The narrator, “Bub”guided by a blind man named Robert was able to visualize and draw a picture of a cathedral, without really knowing what one was. This essay will examine how the outcomes of both stories were affected by the beliefs of those involved.
Catherine of Siena was born in Italy in 1347 at a time when political and religious changes were affecting the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Dedicating her life to the Holy Spirit from a very young age, Catherine pursued a life of purity and simplicity that served as a background to her great literary work, The Dialogue of the Divine Providence . Her work focuses on the importance of prayer and its transcendent power in human life.
Every year, the statue of the Infant King “is carried into the cell of every Carmelite on Christmas.” A decree of the National Assembly confiscated all church goods, including the crown and the scepter of the Infant King. Regardless, the Carmelites carried on the tradition. The statue came to Blanche’s room, and she was moved to tears as she saw the poor Infant King, clad only in a handmade cape. She held the statue and said, “Oh so small and so weak”, Sister Marie corrected her saying, “No, so small and so powerful.” Blanche’s misconception was that the Infant King was only powerful if he was wearing his crown, and as she bent over to kiss it, she noticed his crown was missing. At the same moment, she heard Carmogle being sung in the streets. She immediately dropped the statue and its head broke off. She cried, “Oh, the Infant King of Glory is dead!” From that moment on, Blanche’s demeanor changed, as her hope was shattered, like the Infant King. She now realizes that the good Infant King was not protected from suffering. In fact he embraced suffering to sacrifice for the good of others. She began to accept her condition. Mother Teresa asked Blanche if she still hoped to overcome her weakness, and Blanche replied, “No Reverend Mother… Consider the secret of my name.” Blanche was referring to her religious name bestowed on her by the bishop: “Jesus in the
Today, women share the same equal rights and opportunities as men; nevertheless, that has not invariably been the case. Before the Jazz Age era, gender discrimination between men and women in society was considerably popular. Women were seen as inferior to men. Their jobs were to care for the home, children, and other domesticated duties while men were able to work, get an education, and become doctors or lawyers. Many women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Zora Hurston, to mention a few, seen the unfairness in women's rights and fought for equal rights for women through different movements, efforts, protests, and even marches to abolish women’s rights. As a consequence, women now pursue not only higher education and higher paid jobs/ businesses, but their rights. One of the world’s most controversial issues among churches of today is the role of a woman. Many people are confused about the duty of a woman and how she is supposed to serve God because of history. History taught us to never deny someone of gender, race, or even diversity since he or she has human rights. However, this issue should not be viewed as men versus women because this is not a political issue; instead, it should be viewed as the structural of a church. Women should not be priests, pastors, or even rabbis for God condone women for being priests, pastors, and rabbis as well as proscribed.
Saint Catherine of Siena is the saint that I have chosen to be my saint. She was very interesting to me, and her story was very intriguing. She is the patron saint of fire prevention, bodily ills, sick people, miscarriages, nurses, and illness. She was canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II. Her feast day is now celebrated on April 29.
Eisen, Ute E. Women Officeholders in Early Christianity. Collegeville: The Order of St. Benedict Inc., 2000.
Tucker, Ruth A. "Mother Teresa." Christian History 19.1 (2000): 20. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.