Yesterday evening I attended my Feminist Perspectives class ( this is one unit I have chosen towards an MA in Pastoral Theology). We were looking at the subject of Mariology, and how Mary has been used as an Iconic personality to oppress and suppress women. Nobody can hope to live up to the portrayed perfection of the Virgin Mother!
Part of the discussion centred on whether or not the myth of Mary can be re-constructed as a positive role model for women, and a part of the discussion centred upon the words of the Magnificat, and the power of the "yes "that Mary spoke. Did she retain autonomy or not, in her "yes" she placed herself entirely into God's hands, but was this a gesture of subservience or a powerful choice to step into a God given role?
We were each asked to bring along a picture of Mary that either appealed to us, or repelled us. I chose this picture of the annunciation by Antonello De Messina :
I like the fact that she is reading rather than sweeping, and that despite the angelic visitation she remains composed, there is a look of acceptance on her face but she is not diminished by the announcement.
I am not hindered by negative views or images of Mary, and wonder where she might "fit" ( horrible term) into my faith and thinking. Her yes is important, but do we go so far as to embrace the model of co-redemptrix, and if we do, do we embrace the eternal virgin thinking that has created an inhuman model of perfection. Marcella Althaus-Reid speaks of statues of Mary that can be seen in South America, whose head and shoulders were sat upon a tripod covered in a lace skirt leading local women to say that Mary was a rich white woman with no legs. This unhelpful image has been overturned by teaching surrounding Mary's poverty and humility, thus removing her from her pedestal to sit amongst the poor, but will she rise with them to reclaim their dignity and autonomy, or will she simply teach contentment ?
Is Mary important, or might it be more useful for those in search of a feminine face or God be better served concentrating on proclaiming the Holy Spirit as Sophia/ wisdom, perhaps embracing images like this;
By Goddess artist Pamela Matthews? Or do we go one step further and consider a quadilateral rather than a trinitarian view of God ( yes I am being deliberately provokative!)?
My brain is buzzing, I'd be interested in your thoughts...
