Message Behind The Burqa

[BarbTherese]

Quote

 

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=1370

Full text:  "In his excellent speech at Notre Dame (about which more anon), Archbishop Charles Chaput makes an interesting point about Muslim women who wear the hijab or burqa:

 

Some of my friends are annoyed by that kind of “in your face” Islam. But I understand it. The hijab and the burqa say two important things in a morally confused culture: “I’m not sexually available;” and “I belong to a community different and separate from you and your obsessions.”

There are problems with Islam, especially in its more assertive forms, and the archbishop says as much in passing. But those two messages are messages that our culture needs to hear. It wouldn’t be a bad thing at all if Catholic women—and Catholic men, for that matter—found winsome ways to deliver the same messages."

 

I have been waiting to hear something like the above - and it strikes me as the very obvious:

" It wouldn’t be a bad thing at all if Catholic women—and Catholic men, for that matter—found winsome ways to deliver the same messages."

It seems to me obvious too that for women, the religious habit does this - but any sort of identifiable religious habit is strictly limited to religious and nuns...........and almost an uproar among Catholics if the religious habit is worn by other than these.  Are there any other "winsome ways" we could adopt as Catholic women to readily identify us as "not sexually available" and belonging "to a community different and separate from you and your obsessions"?  The very sad thing is that the wearing of a cross or even a crucifix has been adopted also by secular culture to mean nothing at all more than an item of jewellery and fashion (both male and female).  This is so because culture has changed; whereas in the long ago past only a Catholic would wear a cross or crucifix.

Not only the above, while religious and nuns are seen as a special sort of woman, they are understood to be a totally different sort of woman than the lay secular Catholic woman.  I don't think personally that it should be that way and yet it is a concept that as Catholics, we do reinforce, even firmly proclaim.   The truth of the matter seems to me to be that our religious and nuns are proclaiming by their way of life an ideal - more accurately an event - (eschatological aspect) - and an ideal or event to which all Catholic women ideally will aspire.  I think that all the vocations have an aspect of the eschatological witness about them.

Edited October 22, 2016 by BarbaraTherese

[Quasar]

This article makes me wonder if he understands the differences between hijab and burka.  They are a universe apart and deliver very different messages.  

[HisChildForever]

Live out the joy of the Gospel. Behave and dress modestly (but don't overthink it). Be mindful of your language. And be ready to answer when people ask you about your joy.

[Jack4]

Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.