I, Francis by Carlo Carretto

Diamond in the Rough
Originally uploaded by andebos.

There is something new for women, too. Read carefully. Today, a woman must hear the words of Jesus as a man hears them; if Jesus says, "Go ad make disciples of all nations," it must no longer be that a man hears this in one way and a woman in another.

How we must re-think everything!
And how I would like to say to women of today, "Go!" with all the force of which my spirit is capable, and all my anxiety for the immense needs of a world athirst for the Gospel. This is an urgent invitation. Transform your home into a convent - an ideal, spiritual one, as Saint Catherine did. Let prayer reign there, good counsel, and peace. Let your toil, wherever it is, be illumined by the power of your calling - for you were made to love, to comfort, to serve.
Do not copy men. Be authentic, Seek, in your femaleness, the root that distinguishes you from them. It is unmistakable, for it has been willed and created by God himself. Repeat to yourselves every day: A man is not a woman.
Waste no time in approaching men in order somehow to resemble them. Rather seek to remove yourselves as far as possible from their model. It is not yours, and it is rather marred and muddled even so....There has been too much sentimentality, and too much useless triumphalism! Especially coming from men. Especially if they are not married.
And one more thing.
Do not let yourselves be guided by men any longer just because they are men. If you let them lead you do so because they are saints...

by Carlo Carretto

I found this passage very interesting - and I won't comment on it to a great extent because I feel it reveals a very powerful statement on its own within the context of our culture. It makes me think a lot about who we try to be...I don't agree necessarily with the way in which some of the things are worded - but I agree that too often we try to make ourselves into someone or something we were never intended to be. And other times we feel inadequate in who we are - and that is a lie, God intended us to be completely ourselves in him...when we hear that we are inadequate in our identity - we are hearing a lie. I know I have heard those lies to often of late...and I'm closing my ears, because though the other person sounds glorious, He will never satisfy God or myself the way being myself can.