"Passion Play, a cycle in three parts" by Sarah Ruhl. Amazing. Never have I been impressed by a piece of live theater before as I was with this young writer's socio-historical-theological critique on the human condition through the means of passion play presentations--in Elizabethan England, Nazi Germany and Vietnam Era South Dakota. My friend and I had a chance to see the show on Wednesday of preview week. It officially opened September 24th at the Goodman Theater in Chicago, and will run through October 21st. Check out the Goodman Theater's Website for tickets and other such information.
Miss Ruhl spent over 10 years writing and researching this play, and her efforts shine through. True, there are kinks to work out, but the realism combined with the absolutely fantastic should earn a ticket to Broadway one day. I could spend several days talking about the various layers of the play, but perhaps one theme to consider first is the character of the Virgin Mary.
Virginity is a topic debated, discussed and often despised. In Elizabethan England, we have a Mary who is crazy for sex, and fantasises about the Christ character in a sexual manner. This is rather interesting from an artistic/Theological perspective. In many Renaissance period pieces of art where the Virgin Mother is depicted holding the Christ Child, the Child touches the face of the Virgn--which is a symbol of sexual love. It essentially witnessed to a spousal relationship. The relationship of Christ and his mother was spousal in a certain sense--in that they complimented one another. There was no human sexual relationship involved, yet, in a Spiritual sense, there was a spousal witness from Christ and His mother. This is clearly twisted by the Mary figure in the first act of the play...which ends in tragedy.
In the second act, the Oberammergau woman who plays the Virgin in their theatricals is also a virgin...and virginity seems to be highly revered--yet, revealed is the fact that virginity can be nuanced in definition. There is really no relationship between the Mary and Christ character in this act, which plays out in an interesting way--the Christ figure ends up having no interest in being Christ...
Finally, in the last act of the play, the Mary figure actually gets married to the Pilate character...yet, there are issues brought on by Vietnam...and marital infidelity on the part of 'Mary' with the 'Christ' figure...once again, the disordered relationship of 'Mary' and 'Christ' ends in tragedy...
One could argue, based on an analysis of the Virgin Mary character in the play, the importance, theologically, of Mary's relationship to Christ. In none of the three acts, in none of the three periods in history, was the Passion Play actually produced to completion. I would argue that this is because the Virgin character and the Christ character never display an ordered relationship.
There is so much more to be said about this play. The themes run deep and are intricate, but serve to provide much material for reflection and dialog. I look forward to exploring more of the issues brought to light by this play, and hope that you take the opportunity to see this play for yourself!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Going Bats
Yes, this is a true story. I had a competitive high last night purchasing tickets for a new play showing at the Goodman: "Passion Play, a cycle in three parts." It was written by Sarah Ruhl, and was rather fabulous. As I understand, they are still in previews this week--if tonights performance was a preview, the main run cannot be anything but top notch! I am excited to share more about the play...but I'd like to write about my yesterday evening adventure...first.
I had been out a bit late: having a car for the night, I took advantage and ran some errands---When I got home, my mission was to fight with the online ticket purchasing software and get the tickets I wanted: Mezzanine, Front Row, Middle...yes, I am specific. It took me 5 search cycles (during which you cannot delete your previous searches, so my hypothetical 'basket' was up to over $500 dollars by the time I found "my tickets." I made the buy, and was rather excited. I had read about Ruhl's show, and then was connected with a recent NPR Interview with the play write herself. I was impressed by how well spoken she is, and also intrigued by her own story behind the play...so happily anticipating tonights adventure, I went up to my bedroom...and...was greeted by...a BAT!!
Not kidding you! I turned on the light and I see this black thing flying around in circles. I freaked out! I called up my theater buddy and sought counsel: could the bat poison me?! He assured me I would be fine, and to get it out of the bedroom--I responded I didn't want it just wandering around my house. He said I ought to try trapping it in another room...and use a broom...I was really scared at this point--I mean, we aren't talking a little mosquito or even a dragonfly, here--this was a bat!
I went into the bedroom armed with the broom...and started trying to shoo it into the other room...I started whacking it...then he started swooping at me, which increased my 'freak-out' level. After about 5 minutes of this insanity, I came to the rather obvious realization that he was just as afraid of me as I was of him. I had succeeded in locking him in my bathroom...then I got irritated, cause I need to brush my teeth! I knew he wanted to just get outside...so I went in and found him hanging, bat style, on my curtains. I opened the window out in the bedroom, and after much encouragement, he flew on out...
So, big me...little scary bat...fear is a funny thing! It really can cripple you, as this domestic dispute did me. I followed up with my friend after the bat battle, and I was like, "Ha, now I know, I'm not gonna let any man bat me around...ha ha..." I was making funnies. But seriously, I learned an important lesson about facing my fears.
I didn't want to go in the room. I didn't want to kill the bat. I didn't want to see the bat. But I had to face the damn bat, or there would be no sleep or peace! Violence didn't work--when I whacked him with the broom, he swooped at me...but once I got tired (and he got tired), I began to develop empathy for him, and knew he wanted out just as much as I wanted him out. I opened the widow,and I actually started coaxing him out, talking to him, and gently using the broom to guide him out: and I wasn't afraid of him anymore.
So often, we think it is easier to leave our fears behind closed doors, and not bother with them, in the hopes that they'll just die or 'disappear.' It takes much more courage to open the door and face the fear with love: not try to annihilate it, but figure out where it came from, and send it back to where it belongs, or, order it correctly. For example, if I had a fear of being in a romantic relationship, there has to be a reason: romance is not a bad thing, and it shouldn't be feared! Through prayer and seeking counsel (spiritual and/or professional), one can overcome that fear and order it to a healthy respect for human sexuality and the other person.
**Take a minute, pray a prayer, and crack the door open a little: fear is only as strong as you let it be, and if you confront it with strength and integrity, you can dismantle those fears that have the potential to cripple you, arising a more whole person ready to face the next challenge.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Beauty+Neietzsche/Innocence=Truth
"Nothing is beautiful, only man: on this piece of naivete rests all aesthetics, it is the first truth of aesthetics. Let us immediately add its second: nothing is ugly but degenerate man - the domain of aesthetic judgment is therewith defined." God is not dead, but one could deduce from Nietzsche's other works that he does consider the idea of redemption. I tend to be rather 'naive' at times, but am begging to see how this component of my personality is not necessarily a bad thing--that, truly the world may consider me naive, but what I want and hope to be is innocent and truthful.
There is such a peculiarity present in our world today...either we have the relativistic 'anything goes' or the morally 'oppressive' black or white scenario. Yet, what Nietzsche has to say is a black and white statement, isn't it? In this instance, in his statement, I find much truth. Is not man the summit of creation and intelligence? Is it not upon the decisions, whims and wills of the human race that every crowning glory and tumultuous failure rest? Truly, it is so--I would find it difficult for one to deny this, even if he or she were an atheist or agnostic...or any other variant not-sure-what-to-believer.
Innocence girded with truth carries a power absolutely stupefying to those who would not live by this rule. For the first time in Chicago, I recently found myself in the bar/dance scene. I had had an experience comparable to this in NYC last winter, courtesy of a few fine Village establishments. The atmosphere and philosophical outcome of the two experiences are comparable.
What absolutely disgusts me about the dance club atmosphere (coupled to and in the same genre of the sleazy-bar-atmosphere) is the way women let themselves be treated, and they way men think they must treat women (and visa versa, for that matter!). I find in these situations, the feminist jumps right out of me. I see massive scores of young ladies, dressed in what I would only consider wearing to bed (or some less revealing pieces might pass on the beach)...all these ladies in a massive pool of people jacked up against guys or girls, moving body parts in ways they'd never move at the office, drinking 'long-necks down' as Big and Rich would sing...guys staring at girls and zeroing in on specific body parts...old guys cat calling college students...the playing 'dumb-cute' of the girls and 'macho-dumb' of the guys...the intellectual sexual innuendo that is oh-so-much-fun and fascinating...need I go on? We all know what I am talking about it...the ritual weekend escape for students, young professionals and old creepers is not a foreign idea. It is not at all far removed from the lost innocence of those whose weekend Ritual takes place more often on Friday night than Sunday morning.
Furthest from my intentions is to come across as judgemental. I enjoy going out for drinks and conversation, and I go regularly. What I can't stand is the artificial atmosphere that so many establishements have, which in turn, even and often subconciously, promote a similar artificiality amongst their patrons. Girls want to be loved, guys want to be respected...but the equation always gets jumbled, and 9 times out of 10, the girl and the guy both get hurt.
From a feminist perspective (at least, this feminist's perspective), the cultural constructs of what is male and what is female are a huge component to this American Mess. Girls post the Sexual Devolution are supposed to be independent, sultry and successful. Guys, uh...charming, established and self-sustaining. The concept of community is virtually dismantled, the individualism reigns supreme. Girls look for love in multiple one night stands, guys find respect in getting a girl...it is a cycle of heartbreak, for sure, and it is all because we look to ourselves for the answers to our deepest questions.
Yet, our deepest desire is to be loved, to be needed, to be whole--no Friday night pole-dance is going to deliver this. Innocence that has been lost is not lost forever: if we can train ourselves to pass the Bar Exam or invest in the Stock Exchange, if we are disciplined enough to get to work on time...we already have the foundation to re-invest in that moral code our hears long for: innocence, beauty and truth. We won't be naive the way the world thinks we are: we'll be free, because we'll have come to truly know ourselves, and put our trust in a Faith that we cannot see.
My hat is off to Nietzsche tonight...there is always a way back to the right road, don't despair. That little scrap of paper you pick up on the L, the old lady that sits beside you on the bus, the random program that pops on as you flip the dial in your car...they all have the potential to be the begging of that journey to reclaim the innocence and truth you were created for: not an innocence that is infantile, but truly captivating--compelling others to wonder why you are different in a desirable way...and perhaps inspiring them to head back down the path that leads to the Home they long for...
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Isms
"That is the thing about isms, half of 'em are truth, the other half crap..." my friendly sales rep at Borders quibbled today. The young man assisted me as I rid myself of a member of the "other half," "Full Frontal Feminism." This book, written by blogger Jessica Valenti. Valenti is not only a well-educated feminist (MA in Women's and Gender Studies from Rutgers), she is also an avid abortion rights activist who has been lauded by Choice USA and ELLE magazine, and written for some of my favorite feminist magazines, including Bitch and Ms.
True, I do not have my MA. I've only been published in one national magazine (see Salvo 2) and really, I'm Catholic, so what do I know? One thing is for sure, I got through 30 pages or so of Valenti's book, and I could no longer stomach it. Her writing style is abrasive and lacks class. I have read several texts by feminists, and I keep up to date with feminist cultural critiques. I am familiar with the variant writing styles, but never before have I been so turned off by an author. This is the first time I've ever returned a book(other than your end-of-the-semester by-back deal)!
Valenti's targets her book at young women, aiming to attract them to feminism, to make the f-word socially acceptable and remove the stigma: well, I'd say she is perpetuating the stigma. One aspect of her style I found particularly offensive was her use of f***. I am not an angel, and have been known to use the term on occaision, but never would I as a writer use it in a book so loosely, as though it were giving me some sort of authority. Sorry to say, but Valenti really hasn't carved herself a niche at all. She is a form-fitting contemporary feminist who is just repeating what she heard in her Rutger's lecture halls and learned in NARAL boot-camp...
What the feminist movement needs is a return to class. Feminists need to uphold the universal human dignity of all persons, and the necessity of a moral code of values. When I tell folks I am a feminist, they are sometimes shocked---but when I explain what I consider feminism, they listen more closely: Feminism at it's heart seeks universal human dignity for all, and in light of Roman Catholic Social Thought, this means the right to life, happiness--Eternal Life and Happiness. This means preferential option for the poor, the right to life for the unborn, the right to health care and nutrition. The right to a sustainable environment, to a living wage, to equal pay for equal work...to education not only in academics but values!
Feminism today has hijacked everything in America, from education to masculinity (and femininity, for that matter). A serious restructuring of society is the only way to resolve the moral ambiguity and sexual confusion brought about by the feminist-fueled Sexual Revolution of the 1960s...which was preceded by a eugenic initiative thrust forth by the American Birth Control League in the 1920s. Honestly, though...this moment has been in the making since the dawn of creation...more on this in another posting...
On last bit for the day...What Valenti and other contemporary feminists want is to raise up an army of feminists to carry on the legacy---yet, a woman doesn't need even a high school diploma to see the legacy of the false feminism that has been shoved down women's throats for the last half a century. Is it safe to point out that depression, suicide, eating disorders, divorce, sexual violence, poverty, racism, and other such social ills are rampant in the United States today, perhaps more so than in any other time? How can a country that is so economically affluent have millions of citizens living in poverty and millions of others uninsured? Feminism has achieved the elimination of roughly 45 million mouths to feed through 'legal' abortion, and yet children still die in the United States of hunger and poverty every day...
I suppose if the main goal of feminism were to create a better society, Feminism has failed. So much for re-defining the f-word.
PS~ When my co-worker saw the book on my desk, she mistook it for soft-porn...
True, I do not have my MA. I've only been published in one national magazine (see Salvo 2) and really, I'm Catholic, so what do I know? One thing is for sure, I got through 30 pages or so of Valenti's book, and I could no longer stomach it. Her writing style is abrasive and lacks class. I have read several texts by feminists, and I keep up to date with feminist cultural critiques. I am familiar with the variant writing styles, but never before have I been so turned off by an author. This is the first time I've ever returned a book(other than your end-of-the-semester by-back deal)!
Valenti's targets her book at young women, aiming to attract them to feminism, to make the f-word socially acceptable and remove the stigma: well, I'd say she is perpetuating the stigma. One aspect of her style I found particularly offensive was her use of f***. I am not an angel, and have been known to use the term on occaision, but never would I as a writer use it in a book so loosely, as though it were giving me some sort of authority. Sorry to say, but Valenti really hasn't carved herself a niche at all. She is a form-fitting contemporary feminist who is just repeating what she heard in her Rutger's lecture halls and learned in NARAL boot-camp...
What the feminist movement needs is a return to class. Feminists need to uphold the universal human dignity of all persons, and the necessity of a moral code of values. When I tell folks I am a feminist, they are sometimes shocked---but when I explain what I consider feminism, they listen more closely: Feminism at it's heart seeks universal human dignity for all, and in light of Roman Catholic Social Thought, this means the right to life, happiness--Eternal Life and Happiness. This means preferential option for the poor, the right to life for the unborn, the right to health care and nutrition. The right to a sustainable environment, to a living wage, to equal pay for equal work...to education not only in academics but values!
Feminism today has hijacked everything in America, from education to masculinity (and femininity, for that matter). A serious restructuring of society is the only way to resolve the moral ambiguity and sexual confusion brought about by the feminist-fueled Sexual Revolution of the 1960s...which was preceded by a eugenic initiative thrust forth by the American Birth Control League in the 1920s. Honestly, though...this moment has been in the making since the dawn of creation...more on this in another posting...
On last bit for the day...What Valenti and other contemporary feminists want is to raise up an army of feminists to carry on the legacy---yet, a woman doesn't need even a high school diploma to see the legacy of the false feminism that has been shoved down women's throats for the last half a century. Is it safe to point out that depression, suicide, eating disorders, divorce, sexual violence, poverty, racism, and other such social ills are rampant in the United States today, perhaps more so than in any other time? How can a country that is so economically affluent have millions of citizens living in poverty and millions of others uninsured? Feminism has achieved the elimination of roughly 45 million mouths to feed through 'legal' abortion, and yet children still die in the United States of hunger and poverty every day...
I suppose if the main goal of feminism were to create a better society, Feminism has failed. So much for re-defining the f-word.
PS~ When my co-worker saw the book on my desk, she mistook it for soft-porn...
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Is there a Light at the end of this Tunnel?
Multiculturalism is a hallmark of the American dream. Yet, the more I expose myself to society, the more I wonder exactly what type of multiculturalism we are promoting. America, the great 'melting pot,' has succeeded in dissolving the metal that held together the values and traditions of people from all over the world. The consequences are evident, yet most Americans turn a blind eye: instead of a nation that thrives on the values and traditions of her people, we are incrementally becoming a nation that downplays our virtuous heritage and thrives on an inbred culture of "use," as some of my friends term it.
What is American's multiculturalism? It is a culture of relativism, a culture that says anything goes, and "I have my truth." Of course there are many proponents who with and without effort perpetuate the great American sentiments which include freedom from burden of truth as well as the clear consumer conscience. Now that the various industries are becoming more socially conscience, American's can have their porn and end sex trafficking, too!
Take, for example the Red Campaign. I want to point out that here we have Gap, among others, rallying to raise money to end the AIDs pandemic. Gap and it's affiliates (Banana Republic, Old Navy) make financial contributions to several agencies and organizations that support morally illicit endeavors. One such group on the list for 2006: ICRW--International Center for Research on Women. Now, this organization, such as many feminist-fuled groups, has several worthwhile initiatives in their quest to empower women. Yet, as with many similar organizations, ICRW supports reproductive freedom, particularly access to artificial contraception. Gap gave the group a $33,863 grant last year...God-willing, all the money won't be spent to gain universal access to contraception. Feminists try so hard to win dignity and equality for women, but no man is going to respect women if they don't respect and embrace the wonder and gift of their feminine sexuality! Fertility is not a burden: our abuse of fertility makes it a burden...
Another such example of the great corporate conscience, Kraft Inc. donated $25,000 to the Gay Games/Chicago in 2006...as well as $15,000 to the Night Ministry in Chicago, which is known to distribute condoms to homeless youth...
It didn't take me long to find this information: it is easily accessible. It may be not PC of me to point out these facts when so many Americans are behind these corporations and believe in the 'not-for-profits' they support. Yet, the TRUTH I am trying to expose is that we have taken relativism so far that each and every day it is a choice between the lesser of moral dilemmas. Should we stop supporting an organization like ICRW? I mean, they help promote education for women and girls! Night Ministry distributes food to homeless youth...it is all so frustrating!
America has allowed the most fundamental value to go down the tubes: human dignity. If we still upheld the dignity of the human person, the questions I ask wouldn't even exist. Maybe you think it is silly that I spend time looking into corporate social responsibility, but truly, these facts are indicative of the American conscience. We have been raised in a climate where anything goes, and when someone or something stands up against social disparity, we'll often listen, without questioning exactly what motivates the bell-ringer.
I want to end poverty and AIDs, I want to see more women in dignified leadership positions. I want to help create a sustainable environment--note, Pope Benedict is on top of this one!
At the end of the day, it is all about integration. I honestly believe that until America embraces the truth that relativism has not assisted in our achievement of the American dream, we will not progress. We will continue to see morally-lacking movements that never quite reach their goal, children will keep dying of disease, hunger and abortion...and the great American dream will continue to morph into a devastating nightmare.
***Coming Soon: What the South American Feminists don't want you to know: incest cover up to promote access to abortion!
What is American's multiculturalism? It is a culture of relativism, a culture that says anything goes, and "I have my truth." Of course there are many proponents who with and without effort perpetuate the great American sentiments which include freedom from burden of truth as well as the clear consumer conscience. Now that the various industries are becoming more socially conscience, American's can have their porn and end sex trafficking, too!
Take, for example the Red Campaign. I want to point out that here we have Gap, among others, rallying to raise money to end the AIDs pandemic. Gap and it's affiliates (Banana Republic, Old Navy) make financial contributions to several agencies and organizations that support morally illicit endeavors. One such group on the list for 2006: ICRW--International Center for Research on Women. Now, this organization, such as many feminist-fuled groups, has several worthwhile initiatives in their quest to empower women. Yet, as with many similar organizations, ICRW supports reproductive freedom, particularly access to artificial contraception. Gap gave the group a $33,863 grant last year...God-willing, all the money won't be spent to gain universal access to contraception. Feminists try so hard to win dignity and equality for women, but no man is going to respect women if they don't respect and embrace the wonder and gift of their feminine sexuality! Fertility is not a burden: our abuse of fertility makes it a burden...
Another such example of the great corporate conscience, Kraft Inc. donated $25,000 to the Gay Games/Chicago in 2006...as well as $15,000 to the Night Ministry in Chicago, which is known to distribute condoms to homeless youth...
It didn't take me long to find this information: it is easily accessible. It may be not PC of me to point out these facts when so many Americans are behind these corporations and believe in the 'not-for-profits' they support. Yet, the TRUTH I am trying to expose is that we have taken relativism so far that each and every day it is a choice between the lesser of moral dilemmas. Should we stop supporting an organization like ICRW? I mean, they help promote education for women and girls! Night Ministry distributes food to homeless youth...it is all so frustrating!
America has allowed the most fundamental value to go down the tubes: human dignity. If we still upheld the dignity of the human person, the questions I ask wouldn't even exist. Maybe you think it is silly that I spend time looking into corporate social responsibility, but truly, these facts are indicative of the American conscience. We have been raised in a climate where anything goes, and when someone or something stands up against social disparity, we'll often listen, without questioning exactly what motivates the bell-ringer.
I want to end poverty and AIDs, I want to see more women in dignified leadership positions. I want to help create a sustainable environment--note, Pope Benedict is on top of this one!
At the end of the day, it is all about integration. I honestly believe that until America embraces the truth that relativism has not assisted in our achievement of the American dream, we will not progress. We will continue to see morally-lacking movements that never quite reach their goal, children will keep dying of disease, hunger and abortion...and the great American dream will continue to morph into a devastating nightmare.
***Coming Soon: What the South American Feminists don't want you to know: incest cover up to promote access to abortion!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Unconditional Love...
I have come to realize that I have some 'favorite topics,' and one of them is love. Perhaps the reason I am so fascinated by love is that it is an absolute necessity for survival. Without love, there is really not much reason to live.
I heard an amazing story on "This American Life" on NPR yesterday. I have been a fan of the program since I was 14 years old (although I took a listening hiatus during my university years). This weekend, host Ira Glass presented a program entitled "Unconditional Love." Essentially, his broadcast begins discussing the widely held ideology during the early 20th century that being affectionate to one's child was detrimental to proper development. Psychologists and government pamphlets warned of the risks of over-affection, including holding a baby too much or kissing a child too frequently (some said that more than a once a year kiss was too much affection!).
Glass goes on to present the work of Psychologist Harry Harlow, who throughout his life struggled to prove that the most important gift a parent can give to his or her child is love.
The most poignant segment of this program is Act I. We hear Daniel's story, a Romanian orphan who was adopted by Heidi and Rick Solomon. The story, presented by Alix Spiegel, is one of the most beautiful testimonies to the power of pure love that I have ever heard. Daniel had attachment disorder, which prevented him from forming attachments to people--he was essentially an individual without a conscious. Persons with this disorder have been known to kill and show no remorse whatsoever.
The story explains how Heidi loved Daniel back to health. The therapy they did was just what Daniel missed when he was a newborn and a young child--holding, eye contact, non-verbal communication and the like. Daniel resisted and resisted, but finally after years of patience and love, Heidi and Rick's collective love for Daniel helped to heal their son.
At the end of the segment, they play a recording of a speech Daniel gave at Synagogue, which brought tears to my eyes, as well as Heidi's humble perspective on the development and healing of her son. I can't do justice in writing to the beautiful testimony which Daniel and Heidi share. Please PLEASE take the time to listen to this online: http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=317
The moral of this story, though, is that love can overcome even the most sorrowful of conditions. Daniel recounts how he absolutely hated his mother...at one point Rick had to hire a body guard for fear of his wife's safety. Yet throughout the trial, Heidi remained faithful. She loved Daniel so much, she was willing to do anything she could to help him heal and lead a healthy life.
What is so fabulous about this story is that Daniel was adopted. He is not Heidi's biological child, yet the love she has for him is exemplary! What she endured as a mother for the good of her child is more than many women could handle--and the way that she recalls it is so humble, so very humble. She just wanted him to be able to attach. She never says she wanted him to love her--but he did come to lover her, and he does love her!
The story of this family reflects the readings from Mass this weekend: http://www.usccb.org/nab/090207.shtml
Particularly the Sirach reading sticks out to me. Sirach is also known as Ecclesiasticus, which was also known in the Hebrew Bible as the book of Wisdom. Some Mariologists comment that this book of the Bible is a mystical sort of allusion to the Virgin Mary, as wisdom takes on a feminine quality...Isn't humility a naturally feminine virtue? Didn't the Virgin Mary express it in an amazing way?
Today during the homily at Mass I was blessed to hear a holy priest from Africa discuss humility. He said that in the world, as our status goes up, our humility goes down, and is replaced with pride. How wonderful it would be, and how right it would be, Father said, if as we gained status in the world, our humility would continue to increase?!
This, I think, is a lesson from the readings during this weekend's Liturgy, just as it is a lesson from Heidi's story. She is a sort of modern day Mary, a woman of humility who only desired to love, and to love well and completely. I pray that we all, and in a particular way women, can learn from Heidi's story how children truly need to be cared for and loved: parenting takes all the humility and love in the world, only achievable through the grace and mercy of God.
I heard an amazing story on "This American Life" on NPR yesterday. I have been a fan of the program since I was 14 years old (although I took a listening hiatus during my university years). This weekend, host Ira Glass presented a program entitled "Unconditional Love." Essentially, his broadcast begins discussing the widely held ideology during the early 20th century that being affectionate to one's child was detrimental to proper development. Psychologists and government pamphlets warned of the risks of over-affection, including holding a baby too much or kissing a child too frequently (some said that more than a once a year kiss was too much affection!).
Glass goes on to present the work of Psychologist Harry Harlow, who throughout his life struggled to prove that the most important gift a parent can give to his or her child is love.
The most poignant segment of this program is Act I. We hear Daniel's story, a Romanian orphan who was adopted by Heidi and Rick Solomon. The story, presented by Alix Spiegel, is one of the most beautiful testimonies to the power of pure love that I have ever heard. Daniel had attachment disorder, which prevented him from forming attachments to people--he was essentially an individual without a conscious. Persons with this disorder have been known to kill and show no remorse whatsoever.
The story explains how Heidi loved Daniel back to health. The therapy they did was just what Daniel missed when he was a newborn and a young child--holding, eye contact, non-verbal communication and the like. Daniel resisted and resisted, but finally after years of patience and love, Heidi and Rick's collective love for Daniel helped to heal their son.
At the end of the segment, they play a recording of a speech Daniel gave at Synagogue, which brought tears to my eyes, as well as Heidi's humble perspective on the development and healing of her son. I can't do justice in writing to the beautiful testimony which Daniel and Heidi share. Please PLEASE take the time to listen to this online: http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=317
The moral of this story, though, is that love can overcome even the most sorrowful of conditions. Daniel recounts how he absolutely hated his mother...at one point Rick had to hire a body guard for fear of his wife's safety. Yet throughout the trial, Heidi remained faithful. She loved Daniel so much, she was willing to do anything she could to help him heal and lead a healthy life.
What is so fabulous about this story is that Daniel was adopted. He is not Heidi's biological child, yet the love she has for him is exemplary! What she endured as a mother for the good of her child is more than many women could handle--and the way that she recalls it is so humble, so very humble. She just wanted him to be able to attach. She never says she wanted him to love her--but he did come to lover her, and he does love her!
The story of this family reflects the readings from Mass this weekend: http://www.usccb.org/nab/090207.shtml
Particularly the Sirach reading sticks out to me. Sirach is also known as Ecclesiasticus, which was also known in the Hebrew Bible as the book of Wisdom. Some Mariologists comment that this book of the Bible is a mystical sort of allusion to the Virgin Mary, as wisdom takes on a feminine quality...Isn't humility a naturally feminine virtue? Didn't the Virgin Mary express it in an amazing way?
Today during the homily at Mass I was blessed to hear a holy priest from Africa discuss humility. He said that in the world, as our status goes up, our humility goes down, and is replaced with pride. How wonderful it would be, and how right it would be, Father said, if as we gained status in the world, our humility would continue to increase?!
This, I think, is a lesson from the readings during this weekend's Liturgy, just as it is a lesson from Heidi's story. She is a sort of modern day Mary, a woman of humility who only desired to love, and to love well and completely. I pray that we all, and in a particular way women, can learn from Heidi's story how children truly need to be cared for and loved: parenting takes all the humility and love in the world, only achievable through the grace and mercy of God.
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