Saint Wilgefortis,
also known as Saint Liberata
Sometimes conflated with one other "Liberata"
of a similar time period
I love to pick out the names of the obscure female saints about which most people know little to nothing, including ME! When I run across an interesting female saint on a day when searching for them, I spend some hours researching them.
With Saint Liberata, also called Wilgefortis, Librada and other derivations, and sometimes confused with another Liberata who also died as a martyr, we have again a woman who, when faced by an angry father determined to give her in marriage when she definitely did not WANT marriage, is saved by some circumstance.
In this case, Liberata is rescued by the sudden appearance of a beard on her chin! The beard disgusts her would-be husband, and he abandons his suit. She goes on to become a nun, etc.
Is this a myth? Did this person actually exist? Does it matter?
In some cases, the saints appear to answer the needs of the spiritual heart. Those of us with leanings toward the contemplative life, who yearn to be with God alone and for whom earthly romance pales in comparison, are encouraged by stories of brave young female saints who eschewed the married state from the very beginning and pursued God alone.
There appear to be fewer male saints who specifically cite aversion to the married state as a reason for adopting a life of celibacy, likely because women were pretty much at the mercy of their family and society as to the form their life would take, in many instances. Men were also expected to marry, but their work and duties of station were considered important, whereas the purpose of women's lives was, for centuries, limited to childbearing and rearing within a family. That was their sole contribution to society in the eyes of that society, and I can well imagine chafing at THAT particular bit, as it were.
In the case of Liberata, legend has it that she was eventually martyred at the insistence of her father, who was incensed that she chose religious life instead of the Muslim husband he had picked out for her. Because she was killed for choosing faith instead of family, she is officially considered a martyr for the faith. The backstory on this isn't given in any of the sources, and we are left to wonder why the extreme of crucifixion was imposed on her in the middle ages. Was her father just mad because she disobeyed the orders of this petty king? Was he tired of supporting her, as was his duty until she married? Was it a religious thing because he was a pagan and he objected to her faith? I don't know.
I look upon her story as one of many in the general theme of preferring God to man, and an example for all the vowed and secular women who have given themselves to this life. In my 17 years as an "accidental hermit," I have relied upon the examples of female saints like these.
Currently, there is a minor kerfuffle in the Catholic blogosphere about a book to which Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI may or may not have intended to have his name attached. In it, he supposedly makes the case for continuing the norm of celibacy for priests, in contradiction to some exception that Pope Francis may be making for the priests in the Amazon, where priests are few and far between. Humans like a good controversy, and there are plenty of Francis-haters who have traded in their Catholic faith for a Republican worldview that is cruel and punishing. Pope Francis has made it clear that Trump's wall is unChristian, and he certainly objects to ripping children away from their parents at our borders as punishment for daring to apply for sanctuary in our prosperous and promising country. Francis-haters became so because of these contradictions, for obvious reasons.
In any case, it amuses me that so many people take for granted that celibacy is some horrible, arcane punishment and that it "should" be dispensed with, just as we have dispensed with archaic practices like putting naughty people into stocks in the middle of town so that citizens can throw rotten vegetables at them. I have lived as a celibate person for more than 17 years, and I find it not at all inconvenient.
Saint Liberata relic
Don't get me wrong. Being married is wonderful. It is a lovely state of life, but it isn't for everyone, and it is damn hard to both have a family AND live entirely for God. In fact, it seems an oxymoron to me!
As I have mentioned before, there is some historical proof for people adopting a celibate life after they've been married and seen to the raising of a few children. Husband and wife both take up the life of a hermit or a sannyasi or a Buddhist monk. All the major religious traditions on earth have precedent for this. In fact, it seems natural that, after one has moved through the child-rearing stages, that the elderly would try to move closer to the God to whom one will 'return home' before long. There is absolutely no provision for continuing one's sex life after embarking on this stage, and I think it is terribly funny that Americans are so obsessed with sex that they get all up in arms about this issue about whether or not the Catholic Church should only accept married priests.
I keep reading from these people about what a TRIAL it is to go without sex, and what a horrible thing it is to ask of someone. It's hysterically funny, to me!
As with all rules, there will always be exceptions. In isolated regions, there is no possibility for the kind of day-to-day support that is generally given priests in developed countries. In the Amazon, it really IS a lot to ask of someone that they serve that community entirely alone, without the assistance or support of the church's institutions. Few people would be able to carry on like that, and I think it is smart of our Pope Francis to recognize this and to make provision for the only type of support that is feasible under this circumstance - a WIFE. To do otherwise might be considered cruel.
But, generally speaking, having a wife and children is a full time job in itself, and being a priest on top of those duties isn't practical. Without question, it would draw the church into a responsibility for the costs of raising such a family. Parishioners would be saddled with this obligation that has monetary and social implications, I would think. Providing separate housing for each priest and their families would be onerous. Disregarding the financial entanglements, there are very real burdens on a person's time, when it comes to children, especially. All of this has practical connotations, which can be substantial, if you give it some thought.
I am not saying that these pedestrian considerations are the reasons the Catholic Church proposes for just why celibacy should remain the preferred state for most Catholic priests. I WOULD point out, however, that many of the other religious traditions consider celibacy essential to the aim of the mystically inclined. When I was studying with the Hindus, and then in the Vedanta Convent, there was a lot of information about how necessary celibacy was to the "realization of God." Buddhists also have celibate monastics, for similar reasons. Those who have a dog in this fight and who feel compelled to opine about this controversy, should research the celibacy issue in various religious traditions in order to broaden their understanding of this topic. There is more to this topic than meets the casual eye!
As always, I encourage other women who are living the solitary life to contact me and say "hello." It is always good to hear from you, as it is to hear from all my readers, but I especially send a message of solidarity and support to my sisters in this life.
God bless us all.
Silver Rose
Sannyasini Kaliprana
