On July 17th, I posted a reflection entitled “Responding to the Call for A More Profound Theology of Woman.” In that post, I chose a few Post-Vatican II papal quotes on this subject to call our attention to the importance of this matter for the Church and society. Since then, I have been reviewing some statistics (those polls you hear about regarding Church attendance and living the faith). I discovered a shocking fact about the generation known as Gen X which is the generation born in the mid-sixties to early eighties. Gen X is the first generation where women (even though they are still the larger group attending Church) are leaving the Church at a higher percentage than men. What does this say? What kind of effect will this have on the Church community? What kind of effect will this have on families and on society? Is this a sign of the need for a “more profound theology of woman”?
I got very little response from that post – except for one constructive criticism that was mainly commenting on the fact that I spoke too much of how the Holy Spirit works through the Magisterium in the Church and not enough of how the Holy Spirit works in the laity. It is true that there is a spiritual instinct – the sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful) – that is given to the members of the laity as a gift of the Holy Spirit in our baptism so we can be witnesses to the truths of our Faith in our daily lives; however, this is only authentically practiced when it is in unity with the Holy Spirit’s gift of promoting and protecting truths of faith/morals that is given to the Magisterium. That is what I was trying to encourage when I said: “Perhaps if we start at the foundations … and try to understand and reflect upon the theology that Pope Francis’ call to a profound theology of woman is based upon, we can be led by the same Holy Spirit who is issuing this call through the Magisterium to discover more the beauty of the feminine gift that God has created … and to live it …” Behind this quote, I envisioned women – open to the Holy Spirit – one in a heart/mind union with the whole Church – discovering the depth of meaning of the vocation of woman and its applications in the family, Church and society – and bringing these to life.
My further reflection on this topic spurred by this criticism has been a blessing. I decided to write some reflections on the sensus fidelium and the conditions that are present in an authentic practice of the sense of the faithful so we can be aware of this as we work on “discovering a more profound theology of woman.” While preparing the sensus fidelium reflections, I have been lost in amazement at the beauty of the Mystical Body of Christ that is guided and enlivened by the Holy Spirit – where the Magisterial charism of truth (given it by the Holy Spirit) serves the faithful by promoting and protecting truths – and the faithful are authentically practicing the sensus fidelium (granted by the Holy Spirit in baptism) to help understand and live these truths and discover their deep meanings in various applications they encounter in daily life. The living of these truths by the faithful in their various daily encounters all over the world may even bring to the fore new questions regarding the applications and beauty of these truths that the Magisterium can further serve to deepen their teaching as the whole Church is led by the Holy Spirit through salvation history.
I will continue to post reflections on the sensus fidelium as a foundation for our work of discovering “a more profound theology of women” guided by the Holy Spirit and under the watchful care of Mary, the perfect model of women.
Please remember to pray for those who are suffering around the world under terrible violence.