Objectification of Women

THE SITUATIONER

On the onslaught of the Coronavirus, we have heard over the news of another slaughter and indeed a virus which targeted the weak, especially women and children. Because of the stay-at-home or lockdown measures, domestic violence against women and children have increased to this day.

In the Philippines, 763 cases of crimes against women, and 521 cases of crimes against children from March 15, to April 15, the first leg of community quarantine in Metro Manila and Luzon alone. How about the unreported data? How about those in the provinces? Certainly, that number might ave doubled and continues to balloon to this day.

Today on Reuters, the president of Nigeria aired his alarm of the growing number of reported domestic violence. Latin American countries also reported the growing statistics.

India leads the highest reported and transparent number of domestic violence.

“Let us pray for them, so the Lord grants them strength and that our communities support them along with their families,”

OBJECTIFICATION OF WOMEN

This is not far from the message of our Gospel today because what has been referred to as adultery in the Bible and in the teachings of the Church finds another expression in the present time, and that is objectification of women and children.

Objectification of women and children is the unconscious low regard of women and children relegating them into mere sexual objects and degrading their human dignity to mere utility or commodity to be abused and be utilized for violent sexual purposes.

In our Gospel, we heard Jesus exhorting to remove the body parts, particularly the eyes and the hands, which could cause us to sin, so to avoid being thrown into Gehenna. Notice that the eye and the hands are the objectifying senses. Objects are sensed, they are felt. This is because objects are coveted. Objects are possessed. This is the reason why abused women are regimented and are degraded as mere sexual objects.

Some people think sexual pleasures and promiscuity are what make them happy and fulfilled. Notice in our first reading how Elijah tried to find God, to find happiness in the wind, the earthquake and the fire….. but our first reading says: but the Lord was not in there. The Lord is neither on the wind, the earthquake nor in the fire.

Happiness is not on what we feel or sensed or in our sensational desires as in the fire.

Happiness is in dialogue, as Elijah spoke with God.

Happiness is in the depth of relationships as Elijah spoke with the Lord inside the cave. Happiness is in engagement. He found God and he engaged with God. Elijah did not find God in the sensational but in the engagement. Not in the objectification but in the engagement.

Is this not suggestive of the beauty and joy in marriage?

THE "HOOK UP" CULTURE

Even the institution of Marriage today is greatly threatened by the hookup culture. Bishop Robert Barron has a fresh perspective of this culture. He says: “It is a mentality that casual sexual encounters without psychological or spiritual relationship, no personal engagement or no level of commitment are fine.”

However, young people engaged in this culture experience anxiety disorder and depression. This mainly because they found no stability and security.

This culture promotes that by exploring variety of sexual partners, women (most especially) become savvy headhunters. Accordingly, this set up is so fitting for young people, women especially, because it gives them the freedom, the confidence, the knowledge that they can always depend upon themselves.

According to Bishop Barron, it indicates a very subjective attitude to sexual maturity and over-all well-being. Freedom is valuable not as an end but by the fact that it must be used for the good. This is why the perfect preposition for freedom is not freedom from but freedom for.

Confidence and self-dependence is good not because we could put ourselves to the limit but because they are characteristics of maturity.

What is lacking of this claim -that hookup culture is liberating, enlivening, and self-affirming is that it lacks the fundamental definition of the premises it stands on, premises without which, its claims become relevant. These premises are the answers to these questions:

What is the moral and ethical settings to this claim?

What is the purpose and meaning of sexuality?

What is the religious context?

The fact that it is so subjective makes all the more reason why people are not happy. Subjectivity which makes the “I” above any other value, we become self-absolved, and not needing of true love, true engagement or a true encounter with the Lord in the depth as in our first reading.

This becomes the source of sadness and I would like to leave it in a question form:

We may have a lot of unrestricted freedoms, but do we possess the truth?

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FIRST READING | 1 Kg 19:9a, 11-16

At the mountain of God Horeb,

   Elijah came to a cave, where he took shelter.

But the word of the LORD came to him,

   “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;

   the LORD will be passing by.”

A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains

   and crushing rocks before the LORD−

   but the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake−

   but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake there was fire−

   but the LORD was not in the fire.

After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.

When he heard this,

   Elijah hid his face in his cloak

   and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?”

He replied, “I have been most zealous for the LORD,

   the God of hosts.

But the Israelites have forsaken your covenant,

   torn down your altars,

   and put your prophets to the sword.

I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”

The LORD said to him:

   “Go, take the road back to the desert near Damascus.

When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram.

Then you shall anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel,

   and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah,

   as prophet to succeed you.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM | Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14

R. (8b) I long to see your face, O Lord.

Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;

   have pity on me and answer me.

Of you my heart speaks;you my glance seeks.

R. I long to see your face, O Lord.

Your presence, O LORD, I seek.

Hide not your face from me;

   do not in anger repel your servant.

You are my helper: cast me not off.

R. I long to see your face, O Lord.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD

   in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD with courage;

   be stouthearted and wait for the LORD.

GOSPEL | Mt 5:27-32

Jesus said to his disciples:

   “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.

But I say to you,

   everyone who looks at a woman with lust

   has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin,

   tear it out and throw it away.

It is better for you to lose one of your members

   than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.

And if your right hand causes you to sin,

   cut it off and throw it away.

It is better for you to lose one of your members

   than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said,

   Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.

But I say to you,

   whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)

   causes her to commit adultery,

   and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”