I too am discovering how to live as a woman, and what that means in the context of Christianity. I too am living in a world where the equalizing power of mainstream feminism makes sense and does not make sense. I too want a Christianity that recognizes the dignity of women.
That being said, I am still stuck on the why, however. So the angels care, okay. But why do they? Nothing happens in the Church without meaning and I love the richness of the physical symbols of Catholicism. Why does this particular physical symbol have this particular meaning? I understand that sometimes we don't get all the answers at once, but I have to keep searching. I am never content with "we don't know."
quick thoughts (and how much they'll help I'm not sure, but) -
ReplyDeletewould it help to think about the veil as analogous to priestly vestments? when talking about this subject with a byzantine priest and the women who first passed along the article to me, that was the analogy they made. how disoriented would we be if the priest said the Mass in his regular clothes. each layer of his vestments has important symbolism that's crucial in showing his station and the special role that he plays during the mass. likewise the deacon has his own distinct garments, and usually the altar servers do too. and these differences and unique positions glorify God, definitely showing off His creativity and I think, too, His Divine plan and Infinite-ness. Though all of us are different, all have a special part to play in the role of the Mass, the body of Christ, salvation history, etc. And especially as Catholics, we have outward signs to reflect interior gifts. the veil is one of those outward signs. the point of that story was the priest not wearing his vestments to us is like women not veiling themselves to angels.
and yes, the analogy isn't complete... it definitely doesn't answer why angels would care about a small human tradition. but i think it goes more to what that tradition is pointing towards, like the obedience that she mentions in the article and ultimately the divine order that God has created...
and i think part of it has something to do with order just being really important to angels in general... each angel is his own species, and they're all in some sort of divine hierarchy...
also-- i feel like the sacredness of Mary does come into play here too... but i'll keep thinking about that... and maybe reread the article...
I don't find the argument in that article very compelling, but the priestly vestment analogy makes some sense. I started pondering head coverings a lot last year though. I've only attempted it twice, both times at a Traditional Latin Mass. I used a shawl though - I still think lace hankies are icky.
ReplyDeleteThe most compelling argument I found was in a little pamphlet put out by some Christendom College students. They explained how veiling calls attention to a woman's role as a tabernacle of Christ as the Eucharist. Women are also particularly tabernacles with their ability to house new human life. So you could say it's a pro-life symbol as well.
I love how covering my head reminds me that I am doing something special; when I am at Mass I enter a new spiritual dimension of space and time. It's also a sign of humility, but that submission is to God, not the man in the pew next to me. It shows that I am a woman, created by God in a special way. What I don't love is my own hesitation to cover my head at a Novus Ordo Mass. I'm afraid I'll look "odd" or people will assume I am more "Trad" that I really am.
The hardest part of this symbol is that our current fashion/material culture no longer finds much meaning in head coverings. Back in the day, men wore hats all the time and removed them in church as a sign of reverence. There were corresponding meaningful actions for both genders involving common articles of clothing. Today, most people only wear hats when it's snowing or they are playing sports. Also, tabernacle veils fell out of vogue after Vatican II, again losing a symbol.