(LifeSiteNews) — The Incarnation of the Word must be considered a reality. The eternal Son of the Father assumed the human condition in His development from infancy – i.e., He was a child, and as such He related to His Mother. He spoke with her in the language of a child, though these details do not appear in the Gospels since they are not necessary for the purposes of revelation.
In Luke’s text we find a scene which takes place when Jesus was 12 years old. During a typical pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Child remained in the city while His parents, Mary and Joseph, were returning to Nazareth. Noticing his absence, they looked for Him among relatives and acquaintances who were returning just as they were. Not finding Him, they went back to Jerusalem and discovered Him in the temple, admiring the rabbis listening to Him for His intelligence and answers. Mary reproached him, “Why have you behaved like this with us? Your father and I were looking for you in anguish.” And Jesus explains, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Lk. 2:48-50) Notice the contrast between “your father” and “my Father.” The Evangelist notes that Mary and Joseph did not understand what He meant.
In the Gospel of John there are two passages in which Jesus calls His mother “Gýnai,” or “Woman.” In both cases this title is associated with the Hour of Jesus. Mary’s knowledge of her Son appears in the wedding at Cana; she notices the drama of the feast: “they have no wine.” The Lord’s response has been interpreted by Protestantism as a rejection: “ti emói kai soi, Gýnai, my hour has not yet come” (Jn. 2:4). I do not translate the Greek as saying “I have nothing to do with you,” but rather, “What do we have to do with it (this lack)?”
Mary does not see this as a rejection; knowing Jesus, she realizes what He is going to accomplish. That is why she orders the servants to “do whatever He tells you.” These words are a message for all times. The Lord then proceeds to produce around 300 liters of wine, signifying the coming of the Messianic times. The “Hour” of the Lord is brought forward by the intervention of Our Lady and fulfilled on the Cross, where Jesus gives his Mother to the beloved disciple, who receives her as his own (Jn. 19:26).
The expression “Woman” has an absolute value. She is the Woman, the New Eve, the Mother of the living redeemed by the Sacrifice of the Cross. She is present in the New Creation as the original Woman.
The feminist movement was formed in 20th century, though it has antecedents in previous centuries. Feminism arose in reaction to a certain undermining of women and the sometimes abusive preponderance of men, which has been a historical reality that signifies a loss of original balance (“men and women were naked, but they were not ashamed”). The injustice of which women were victims occurred in different cultural contexts, though one can count some regimes in which women prevailed.
The main problem with feminism is its vindicatory character. The proclamation of women’s “rights” is lived in a way that ignores the original balance, hence the false solutions of divorce, contraception, and the breakdown of the family. The role of the woman in her capacity as wife and mother, committed to the education of her children, is irreplaceable.
+ Héctor Aguer
Archbishop Emeritus of La Plata
Buenos Aires, Tuesday, March 18, 2025