Rise up Maiden Warrior

My family shares a YouTube account so when I go on to look for something to watch, I have recently found that most of our subscriptions are manly channels.  Many of the pages I "Like" on Facebook are also very masculine Catholic pages.  All of these have great content.  I do like them and am so glad they are available for our brothers in Christ.  But there is a visible lack of inspiration for maiden warriors.

The feminine pages that I have come across are beautiful but oftentimes seem soft and self-centered.  These Catholic women's pages do not seem to mention the spiritual battle we are constantly called to wage.  They focus, instead, on being known and loved.  They share posts of self-affirmation instead of encouraging us through the struggles and holding us accountable.  Yes, knowing our worth in God's eyes is very important, but we seem to focus more on ourselves than on Christ. We are not Catholics because it gives us worth but because Christ is worth everything.

As Catholics on earth, we are part of the Church Militant.  We are made soldiers of Christ in the sacrament of Confirmation.  We know that life is a battle against sin and that the victors triumph in Heaven.  So how do we combine our feminine virtues (of gentility, meekness, and piety) with the courage, fortitude, and tenacity of a Catholic soldier?  It is rather simple.  It may even seem too simple, but that doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do.  We probably won't be called to fight wars or sacrifice our lives in red martyrdom, but we are called to wage war on the everyday tasks and trials we face.  We must offer up our annoyances and complete our duties with dedication and determination, respond cheerfully to our parents, complete homework promptly, and sacrifice our lives for those around us.

Do we have any examples of this well-rounded Catholic maiden?  There are some examples in literature (though not necessarily perfect examples) such as Susan and Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia or Lady Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings.

Susan and Lucy are certainly not born warriors.  They were brought into a fight and world that was not their own, yet they responded bravely and took up the courage to help those they came to love.  Even though they wanted to help in the battle, they were called to help differently.  They accompanied Aslan to his sacrifice and then helped him gather an army afterward.  We can be like Susan and Lucy accompanying Our Lord in His bitter agony and passion.  We can offer up our suffering in union with His.

In The Lord of the Rings movies, Eowyn wanted to fight.  She was a shieldmaiden of Rohan.  She was ready to sacrifice her life for the people she loved but she first had to stay back with the women and the children.  This was not the heroic act she wanted to perform, but it was just as important.  We should comfort and care for those around us even when it means we won't be able to follow our own desires.  Then, if called upon, we can fight our enemies bravely.  See, both duties require a great amount of self-sacrifice.

Beth March of Little Women too was a brave fighter in her own way.  She completed her tasks and duties with quiet humility.  But she also fought her invisible enemies with determination.  

“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices...” 
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Let's be like Beth, sacrificing in silence so that we bring sunshine to all we meet.

Of course, the Catholic Church has given us many examples in her Saints such as St. Joan of Arc and even St. Therese of Lisieux.  The former was actually a soldier but that is not the only reason we look up to her.

Before Joan was a soldier leading an army to battle, she was a humble peasant.  She did not ask for great glory.  She only wanted to be a faithful daughter of God no matter what He called her to.  One of St. Joan of Arc's most famous quotes reads,

"I am not afraid.  I was born to do this."

Yes, she was not afraid, but she did not get this courage from within herself.  She relied on Almighty God to lead her, to fight for her, and to conquer all.

"Go forward bravely.  Fear nothing.  Trust in God; all will be well."

And she chose to do what was right in all things.  This is a true heroic virtue.  We can come up against so much peer pressure.  Oh, this sin is so little, just a venial one, it won't matter just this once.  We make excuses and we don't fight our battles against sin.  But St. Joan said,

“I would rather die, than do a thing, which I know to be a sin, or against the will of God."

That's a powerful resolve and one we should pray to imitate.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux is called The Little Flower.  Hardly a heroic and awe-inspiring title.  It is small, soft, and simple.  Yet she too is a great example of heroic femininity.  She fought battles with the enemy ever since she was a little child.  Young Thérèse fought battles against selfishness, sadness,  and insecurity.  But she eventually overcame her difficulties.  She also waged a war of prayers for soldiers.  She could not be a missionary in a foreign land, but she courageously prayed with dedication for soldiers and missionaries around the world.  She still does too.

Holy Mother Church has given us so many examples of maiden warriors I can't list them all.  But one more worth mentioning is St. Monica.

St. Monica waged a war of prayer for her son, St. Augustine, for years and years.  She battled not for country, kingdoms, fame, or reputation, but for her son's soul; and eternal welfare.  It was not easy.  He ran from God which saddened his beloved mother.  There were most certainly times when St. Monica could have thought that her prayers were not being heard.  Instead of despairing, though, she had faith in God and continued her fight for her son.  He finally converted and her prayers were answered.  St. Monica is a shining example of not giving up.

You see, our battles against temptation and sin are very hard and legitimate.  But we cannot fight them on our own.  We will quickly lose strength and hope.  Instead, we have to rely on God.  To be a great soldier, one has to abandon himself to his captain.  We too are called to abandon ourselves to our Divine Captain.  Soldiers have to trust their leaders.  These men follow their leaders into battle, sometimes never to come back again, but they trust them and follow them to victory, even if it be in death.  Our battles probably won't be with swords and blood.  We probably won't be called to sacrifice our lives physically, but we are called to sacrifice them spiritually.  So let's follow Christ our Captain into the battle for souls; for the eternal Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.  Our weapons are our prayers, our sacrifices, our rosaries, our scapulars, and our good works.  Remember courage, fortitude, bravery, and resilience are not just for masculine men.  Women too can practice these virtues as soldiers of Christ waging war in our everyday lives against the world, the flesh, and the devil.