It is also said to be a symbol of “her submission and obedience to Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior” (Conte Jr.). So the reason why many of devoted women Christians wear a veil to mass is to also show their submission to Jesus Christ and to the Catholic Church. The veil of the Virgin Mary came to be reserves as “one of the most important relic” (Farley)
Her responsibilities have ranged from a vessel of the lord to a mediator between Christ and humanity. Investigating a sampling of these works will illuminate how the redefinition of these roles was marked and sometimes changed through images of the Virgin. Images of Mary had special significance to medieval women because she was the sole female deity in a high position in the church. Addressing how the iconography of the Virgin was viewed and internalized by women will shine a light on the overall social significance of Mary. Due to the unclear timeline of medieval art many of the themes discussed overlap.
Throughout history, religion has expected a lot from women. Since colonial times, religion and culture never asked, but expected, women to be well-mannered wives and mothers. Obedience to their husbands, along with the suppression of anger has always been the ‘role’ of the woman. Their job also consisted of leading their families to church as well as convincing their loved ones to live a good, Christian life in the eyes of God. As Elizabeth Fox-Genovese stated in the text Religion and Women in America, they were expected to “live a Christian life in what clearly was not a Christian world.” However, at this time, women viewed all of these duties as a religious “calling.” The Puritans of the 1600s strongly believed each person held responsibility for their own souls, but since worshipping occurred to a male God, the role of natural leaders of the churches belonged to men.
Before the civil war it was mostly men who were nurses, but since a lot of them went to war, the ladies took on the job. Some women wanted to help in any way they could. Some enlisted, but were declined because they were ladies. Though there some special cases, some actually got appointed positions in the war. “The rebel cavalry leader, Stuart has appointed to a position on his staff, with the rank of Major, a young lady residing at Fairfax Court House” (General Stuart’s New Aid, 1863).
Women were expected to learn common domestic skills, and utilize them as wives and mothers. This was not the path that Florence Nightingale took. Florence was born into a fairly wealthy family. Florence’s father, William Nightingale is notably responsible for pouring knowledge into his daughter. She was taught foreign languages, history, philosophy; and to her mother’s disadvantage, math.
She was a nun, in service of god. Of whom ALL believed had an unwavering faith was in fact lacking faith in god throughout her entire adult life. I myself, having read her biography looked at this amazing woman with great reverence. One specific quote that I read made me think of the answer to this question. Jesus has a very special love for you.
It was assumed that True Womanhood would be naturally adopted because of women’s deeper religious connections and because of her purity. These were two qualities that men were not assumed to have possessed naturally. Christian Motherhood was a part of the fuel behind the propaganda of True Womanhood. Protestant leaders made women the leaders in cleansing of society from evil. Men were seen deviating from religious values and it was up to the women’s “purifying passionless love”(barbera Welter) to salvage the men’s relationship with God.
She alludes to this because she has lost her way on Gods path to her eternal salvation. This is affiliated with the bible, specifically Jacob. She feels as though she has been put into his place. This is a good quote because it helps her keep her faith, and trust that god will help her in the end. Rowlandsons’ other philosophy is that God will help her with her troubles and sorrows in life.
Underlying principles can still be found in scripture which answer the inquiries of today’s women. Some of these include: what characteristics a Godly woman should possess, what her activities consist of, and where her interests should lie. These issues and many more are dealt with in the 31st Proverb; one of the most well known and commonly discussed Biblical references for the description of a Godly womanhood. It should be the duty and delight of every woman of God to know His plan for femininity, as is found in this Proverb. We must be diligent in discovering the truths therein, and apply them to our lives today.
Still, he is concerned that wearing the full veil is bound to make better relations between the two communities more difficult. The second text “The many faces behind the veil” discuss the difference between girls who choose to wear the hijab, or veil, and the girls being pressed to wear it. One of them is Rahmanara Chowdhury. She chose it for herself and her whole family accepted her choice. For her it is a spiritual journey and her personal relationship to God.