Women's call in a changing world...

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The middle of the last century brought with it an upheaval in social order that threw many established social norms out of kilter. Common sense was in short supply, and “questioning authority” became the battle cry. The changes in society were vast and sweeping, taking with them much of what people knew to be foundational and secure.

Some of the changes were appropriate and necessary-- the civil rights movement's raising of all men to an equal status under law, for instance. But other changes, some questionable and many clearly harmful, ripped through our culture so quickly that few had time to observe and judge what was happening.

Vatican II was a response to a rapidly changing world-- propagated as a means for the Church to clarify the fullness of unchanging doctrine, and to reach those being pulled away from the faith by a rip-tide of cultural changes.

Pope John XXIII recognized the need to address the cultural upheavals that had been intensifying for decades. His vision for the Council was to allow the Church to express herself and her doctrines, in a promising but perilous age when men and women seemed to be losing their faith and moral foundations.

Some women were aggressively proclaiming that they no longer needed to be feminine: equality meant casting off their compatibility with men, assuming a masculine or androgynous persona. A new generation increasingly lacked not only the values of Christian chivalry, but even a basic sense of gender-appropriate behaviors.

The Church perceived an urgent need to remain engaged with society and culture, bringing its message of abundant Christian life to what was rapidly becoming a “culture of death.” For this purpose, the Council issued a document in 1965 that outlined the role of the laity, “Apostolicam Actuositatem” – the Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People.

Contained in its pages are the rudiments of the Church’s mission and our valued role as laity in that mission. This is particularly important for women, especially those women who still believe that the way to achieve success or to be valued is to usurp male roles such as the priesthood.

Here is what the Church says in her wisdom about the lay apostolate and women:

"The laity carry out their manifold apostolate both in the Church and in the world. In both areas there are various opportunities for apostolic activity. We wish to list here the more important fields of action, namely, church communities, the family, youth, the social milieu, and national and international levels. Since in our times women have an ever more active share in the whole life of society, it is very important that they participate more widely also in the various fields of the Church's apostolate." (AA 9 -- emphasis added)

The Church is not telling women to “sit down and do nothing but be good little girls” -- not at all. She is saying that we have been given an increasingly important role in society: so we must use it wisely! The Church is specifically sending women out to be active not only for the secular needs of the community, but as representatives of Christ according to their calling and gifts.