#belle joseph

[appliedmariology]

Perhaps Callista has something to tell us about women today, at a time when anxiety, low self-esteem and insecurities are rife among young women. In the formation of young women, there is a tendency, even among Christians, to emphasize external accomplishments: intellectual, sporting and practical achievements. While these are all very good and necessary, any intelligent woman will sooner or later fall into despair if she believes such success is all there is to life.

“Callista,” Christianity, and Woman’s Heart - book review by Belle Joseph at Dappled Things

[appliedmariology]

[Cardinal John Henry] Newman takes a definite counter-cultural stance [in his novel Callista] when he denies Callista the happy ending of marriage, perhaps just as discomforting for modern-day society as for Victorian readers. He does not deny the beauty of marriage; far from it. But he understands that human love can only partially fill the emptiness in a woman’s heart. As Professor Janet E. Smith once put it in a talk: ‘Marriage does not eradicate man’s loneliness, but only alleviates it.’ Sensitive as they are to their own spiritual and emotional needs, women are, perhaps, especially prone to the mistake of seeking total spiritual fulfilment and emotional satisfaction in their spouses – a gift that even the most exemplary husband might have some trouble in ensuring. The answer, then, to woman’s deepest desires? For Newman, it is both simple and radical: complete fulfilment is found in a Person and that Person is Jesus Christ. Only a pure and complete love can satisfy woman’s soul; only the love of Christ can fully answer her longings.

“Callista,” Christianity, and Woman’s Heart - book review by Belle Joseph at Dappled Things