Kineke's primary goal in writing this book is to help women understand their femininity and how it is manifest in everyday life. She enumerates three temptations related to discovering what it means to be a woman: (1) idealizing the past, (2) dismissing the past, and (3) creating unrealistic images of piety. Methods for combating these temptations include ongoing formation to establish an adult understanding of our faith; an openness to life and the dignity of the person; and personal relationship with the Blessed Mother. Kineke outlines a number of ways for women to view their role in creation realistically. She explains the model of spousal love in relation to the sacraments of matrimony and holy orders. The vocation of bride, she writes, is equal to that of groom in all dimensions, but not to be confused with it. The bridegroom protects, makes fruitful, and completes his bride and provides a haven where she can prosper safely and comfortably. "He gives that she might receive and her receptivity gives life back to him and affirms his manhood."
In addition, Kineke connects the role of women with the Church's role of mother, teacher, and builder of culture. Finally, she looks at the challenges to authentic femininity in marriage, motherhood, and the consecrated life and suggests that sincere Christian forgiveness, as Jesus taught, is the antidote for pain, injustice, injury, and conflict.
This book provides numerous opportunities for reflection for individuals and groups of women or couples. It would also be a useful resource for leaders of marriage preparation programs.
If you're looking for a cutsie "Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul" or a "Spirit of Vatican II" type book for women, this is not it. Genevieve Kineke is looking for an answer to the question "What does it mean to be a woman?" that transcends time, place, or state in life. She sees an answer in the image of the Church as a Woman - Mother, Teacher, and Bride, and gets theologically deep. She looks at the Sacraments - Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconcilliation, and explores how a woman's daily life mirrors those Sacraments. She also discusses how the vocation of women is linked to that of men (Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Consecrated Life)- and this may bristle many "21st Century" women who have been raised with a feminist mindset. She discusses the Church as Mother and Teacher, giving examples of women like Maria Montessori and Edith Stein. To illustrate the Church as Bride, she gives examples from the Old Testament. Finally, she presents the Church as builder of Culture, without which "faith cannot endure". Through all of this, she weaves the example of our mother Mary. In exploring this paradigm, Genevieve shows how women are invited to a unique, intimate relationship with Christ, and how the "genius of woman" can have a tremendous impact on the world. By her own admission, Genevieve's book only scratches the surface of this topic. But it is an excellent start, and complements John Paul II's Theology of the Body very well. This book is structured and written well, and comes with a bibliography. It is defnintely worth a second read.
