The Virgin Martyrs
Recently I was interviewed by two young women who were working on a school project about the Protestant Reformation. One of their questions was, “Do you think that there are any misconceptions about the Catholic Church?” My short answer was, “Yes”. The longer answer is included subjects such as the Pope, Mary and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
One major misconception that we did not speak about is that the Catholic Church does not respect women. To some degree, I can understand this claim as the church is served by an all male priesthood, many of whom are in positions of leadership in the Church. When I take a look at the history of our Church, however, I see an organization with a long history of respect for women in both the honor given them as equals in witness to the faith and in leadership positions that would have been nonexistent in secular society.
A good example of this is found in the veneration given to the virgin martyrs. I know that many in our modern day society believe mistakenly that the Church hold them up because we are prudes, or that we want to highlight the submissive nature of these women. I would like to invite all those who believe this to take a second look.
In the Roman Canon we pray for many of the early women martyrs, including Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, and Anastasia. Both Lucy and Agnes were put to death because they refused to marry pagan husbands. They believed strongly enough in their own right as human beings to decide for themselves who they would marry that they stood up to the men who wanted to impose their will upon them. Rather than agreeing to be forced into marriages that would have compromised their faith, they willingly chose torture and death instead. The strength of these women has been celebrated by the Church for almost 2,000 years. It is not their submissiveness that led to the veneration of these women, but rather the strength of God that was made manifest by their lives. In a time and place where women were not seen as equals in society, the Church placed their names in our most central prayer.
When I look at the history of our Church, I see a community that is committed to respecting women. I know that many fail to see this. For my own part, I see a Church that has been taught by Jesus to invite women to roles of ministry and leadership as well as the many who serve tirelessly for the good of others through their work within the Church.
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