Women's contribution
This second issue of “Women Church World” is dedicated to healing. A
complex, femanle task that includes attention, care, kindness, concern,
education and commitment. And this requires feeling and intelligence. To take
care of, and help
others
go together. The care of the body (and not just the soul) has always been a task
and a service performed by women religious. But it is also the lifeline, the
behaviour and the way of life that unites all women, that even feminism has
recognized as distinguishing them from men. “Sadly — Benedict XVI recently said
— this God-given dignity and role of women has not always been sufficiently
understood and esteemed”.
Always and in fact for many, care (with all the work that it requires) has been neglected, unrecognized, regarded as a residul part of life. Actually it is the first and fundamental element: without care there is no life. Caring for others is the highest level of human expression. And women are the teachers.
The feminine genius resides in “concern for others”, said John Paul II.
Then the interview on the first page is dedicated to Sr Anna Bałchan, who for
many years has been helping women and children who were the victims of violence;
working on the tracks of human trafficking with the victims. Then we cover a
story on women religious who in hospitals do not only work and care for the
sick. Their concern is with the education of the soul that must be “opened” to
make room in the heart for God's will, said Sr Maria Barbagallo. She is “a
missionary of our time” who has lavished her care among the poor and
disadvantaged of the world. Elizabeth is the Saint of this month, whose
“authoritative” word welcomed Mary who came to visit her.
