Day 26: Freedom and Her Self-Knowledge (From a Woman’s Perspective)
Author: Abbey Foard
November 07, 2021
By Abbey Foard
DSM Executive Director
Editor’s Note: TOB is the
abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press
"If we do not see our own
darkness, we cannot know the love and light of divine goodness."
St. Catherine of Siena
As a new psychology student,
I “came down” with a new mental disorder the more I studied. From depression to
obsessive-compulsive disorder, dependent to borderline personalities, there I
was. It wasn’t consoling!
With time I began to
understand the concept of “clinical threshold”— we can all have symptoms and
tendencies without being “diagnosable.” (No longer was I tempted to check
myself into the hospital!) But the whole process was enlightening. I had words
for vulnerabilities and saw them in a new light. I needed mercy more than I
knew. I could see pockets of darkness where light needed to break in.
The whole of Theology of
the Body casts a vision for the true self. God designed us as man and woman in
His image--bodies with meaning and direction, made for spousal communion. Our Divine
Bridegroom invites consecration to Him. In so doing He can liberate us from concupiscence
(i.e. corrupted desire) and redirect our
passions.
My newfound insight and
self-awareness had energy—at once it invited my Creator-Redeemer and pulled me
towards Him. It challenged me to reveal myself more deeply to others. I entered
therapy. I dug into Living Waters. I grew in the practice of confession. A
deeper longing emerged: I wanted to rediscover the “lost fullness” of my
feminine gift.
Saints find the Lord in
the middle of deep needs, however messy. We have permission to probe our depths,
insomuch as we depend upon the One who can re-order it. As St. Catherine says,
our “shadow side” becomes an access point to the love and light of divine
goodness. And that goodness will follow
us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23)!
Pope St. John Paul II says,
“Redemption is a truth, a reality, in the name of which man must feel himself
called, and ‘called with effectiveness.’… [He] must feel himself called to
rediscover…and to express…the interior freedom of the gift, that is, the
freedom of that spiritual state and power that derive
mastery over the concupiscence of the flesh” (TOB 46:4).
"Jesus, rouse the
gift we are. Help us to attend to the treasure you summon from the trash. Free
us from our constant faultfinding and free us for vestiges of paradise in our
memories and in our lives today. We refuse the liar who tries to rewrite Eden
out of our histories. Unite us to the home of our original dignity."
"Jesus, have mercy on us as Your Church. We have
abused weaker members, including children, and protected ourselves. We have
violated the most vulnerable. In Your mercy, free us to superabound with
justice. Grant us Kingdom discernment and courage to reform ourselves. May our
repentance grant us Kingdom authority to strengthen the weak, discipline
violators, and restore the violated."
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