Through a bizarre mailing that appeared at our house today, I was made aware of the Lifetime Television’s project Lifetime Celebrates Remarkable Women. It seems that this cable television show is dedicated to presenting a biography every week about a remarkable woman. The headline on the website states,
“Lights, camera ... take action! Following the historic ‘year of the woman’ in politics, Lifetime Television is unveiling a new effort - Lifetime Celebrates Remarkable Women - to shine a spotlight on an extraordinary woman, and to inspire and empower others to make a difference in their communities and the world.”
The entries date back to January 1 of this year. I presume that it will continue through December, so there should be a total of 52 recipients. Each recipient is given a few paragraphs describing their accomplishments in addition to a short video. Examples of those women honored thus far include Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, Janet Napolitano, Maria Shriver, Sonia Sotomayor, Queen Latifah, and Hillary Clinton. In addition to the names of fame, there are also the “ordinary” who have done the “extraordinary.” While it was tempting at first to go through the list name by name with a critical eye, I have decided that Lifetime Television, while many of their choices are questionable, is on to something. After all, in the words of Pope John Paul II,
“[W]oman has a genius all her own, which is vitally essential to both society and the Church…[She] is endowed with a particular capacity for accepting the human being in his concrete form. Even this singular feature which prepares her for motherhood, not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually, is inherent in the plan of God who entrusted the human being to woman in an altogether special way” (Angelus Address: July 23, 1995)
At Roma locuta est, we think the idea of celebrating 52 women, one for each week of the year, is a fabulous idea. Therefore, we will be starting a new series called Roma locuta est Celebrates Remarkable Women. We will take nominations via email . Nominees can be taken from the Church Militant or the Church Triumphant. It would be good to submit a name and a brief biography, but it would be better if you would write the whole entry yourself: I am happy to give credit where credit is due.
And without further ado ...
I. The Blessed Mother
Mary began her life in the womb if her mother, St. Anne, when she was miraculously conceived without sin. The full realization of her role in the plan of salvation, however, would not come until her teenage years when she received a visit from the angel Gabriel. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you,” he greeted her. With great fear and trembling she listened to the request that was made of her: she was to bear in her womb the Christ child, the very Son of God that created her. Mary, in an act of docile humility, submitted to the will of God: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.” With this act, she gave flesh to the New Adam, and as such established herself as the new Eve. God rewarded her for her fiat by assuming her body and soul into heaven at the end of her life and crowing her as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Since her assumption, the Blessed Mother has appeared all over the world throughout history: from Lourdes to Guadalupe and from Fatima to Paris. Each time she comes with a call to repentance and a message of the hope of salvation. Countless members of the faithful, from Popes to paupers, have consecrated themselves the the Blessed Mother, seeking her guidance and asking her intercession before her son, Jesus.
Mary is a model of poverty, not one of desolation but instead one of authentic poverty of spirit. She is also a model of self-abandonment, of living for the greater glory of God. In her unique double vocation as a virgin wife and mother, she serves to inspire both marriage and celibacy, and her openness to life is precisely that through which she serves both of these vocations. She is the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. Mary is the archetype of humanity, and for this reason, we celebrate the remarkable woman that she is: The Blessed Mother.
UPDATE: When possible, we will present a video. In this case, I have chosen a Romanian Byzantine chant celebrating the Holy Theotokos (Mother of God). While quite different in style from the Gregorian Chant of the Latin Rite, it is beautiful in its own right (and rite).
To submit future entries, email Jake .
PS. If anyone is so inclined to produce videos like those of the Lifetime site, feel free to email me. That would be awesome.
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