The Special Gift of Women
For God the Family and the World
Dr Maria Fedoryka
ISBN 9781860826788
eISBN 9781784694777
ASIN B075P376N5
CTS Booklet DO830
Over the last few years, I have read over 175 volumes from the CTS. I have read books from many series. And many authors. Lately I have read several books that are part of the CTS Devotions and Prayer Series. I have read many in the CTS Biographies and also Saints of the Isles Series, and the Great Saints Series. I picked up this volume because the cover and title intrigued me. They intrigued me as a son, and as a father of daughters. And it caught me attention because from the title and description it looked anything but politically correct. I believe it is the only book written by Dr Maria Fedoryka either for the CTS or any other publisher for that matter. I enjoyed this one so much that I went looking to see what else of her writings I could track down, and I could not find any. The description of the booklet is:
“We live in a world which has many confused ideas about gender and seeks to play down any difference between the sexes; yet it is by their very difference that men and women enrich each other's lives. This beautiful ebook considers the gifts that God has entrusted to woman in particular, and the gifts which she can give for God's glory, for the good of those whose lives she touches, and for her own happiness.”
The chapters in this volume are:
Introduction
Male And Female: Two Ways Of Being, Two Vocations
The Special Gift Of The Woman
Woman As Spiritual Bride And Mother
Special Challenges That Women Face
In the introduction the author quotes Vatican II:
“As you know, the Church is proud to have glorified and liberated woman, and in the course of the centuries, in diversity of characters, to have brought into relief her basic equality with man. But the hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being achieved in its fullness, the hour in which woman acquires in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women impregnated with the spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid mankind in not falling.”
In the first chapter Dr Fedoryka states:
“All persons are made in the image and likeness of God, but we find, mysteriously, that humanity is divided into two kinds of persons: man and woman. Let us think about this for a moment. We could say that every person is “three dimensional”, with 1) the dimension of human nature, 2) the dimension of being male or female, and 3) the dimension of individuality. On the deepest level, all persons are identical, simply in having a human nature. On the third level, in their individuality, each person is entirely unique, wholly different from every other person, and therefore completely irreplaceable.”
This statement is contrary to popular culture. And Political speak these days. But the author does a great job of balancing the truth of the teaching of the church without attacking those who believe differently. She is clear about what we believe and why it is important. Further on she states:
“All persons wanting to live a virtuous life in a fallen world will face innumerable challenges, many of which are common to men and to women. But a number of the difficulties we encounter will be a direct result of our vocation as men and as women, respectively – and so they will be different in each case.”
And then she focuses on some of the difficulties of motherhood, difficulties facing working women, and finally more general challenges all women face. Towards the beginning of the final section of the book is another quote, this one from the Letter to Women from Saint John Paul II:
“The church sees in Mary the highest expression of the ‘feminine genius,’ and she finds in her a source of constant inspiration. Mary called herself the ‘handmaid of the Lord’ (Lk 1:38). Through obedience to the word of God she accepted her lofty yet not easy vocation as wife and mother in the family of Nazareth. Putting herself at God’s service, she also put herself at the service of others: a service of love.”
This is another excellent volume from the Catholic Truth Society. It is one I look forward to sharing with my daughters as they are a little older. And it is one that will help me love and serve the women in my life better. It is one All women could benefit from reading. An excellent booklet!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.
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