Christine L.
The Life of Mary of Oignies (1213) is written by Jaques de Vitry who was a canon living according to the Rule of St. Augustine at Oignies. The Beguines were a group of women devoted to lives of piety although they had no official commitment. The group was led by Mary and only became formally recognized through Jaques’ appeal to the papacy in 1216. In her biography we discover that Mary was moved to tears by the thought of Jesus’ death. She was known for her inability to stifle her crying. One day she was told by a priest to stop crying. She was unable to do this and so she left the church. She then asked God to help the priest understand her struggle. Later, the priest too was overcome with tears. At another time Mary becomes angry that she ever enjoyed worldly pleasures. Her reaction is to chastise her body and cut herself with a knife. She also found refuge in a life of silence. It was said that because of her silence “she would fly up to heaven without going to Purgatory” (407).
The desire to achieve a more personal communion with the divine can easily be seen in Mary’s actions. She preferred to live quietly. She often ignored the communal aspect of life and focused on her inward feelings towards God. She detested earthly pleasures and preferred to reflect on the nature and perfection of God. Her tears illustrate how well connected she was with the Lord emotionally. The author interprets Mary’s outbursts in a positive way just as Mary looks at them herself. When questioned about her constant outbursts she claimed, “These tears are my refreshment…They are not violently wrenched out but are freely given by the Lord” (406). Through her emotions she could understand the divine. Her passion proved that she could comprehend and experiences the truth of her creator. If she has felt God then she has known Him. It is one of the most personal connections that can be had. She also spends time with Him in different forms as is explained in chapter 88. Jaques writes, “she held Him close to her so that He nestled between her breasts like a baby” and He “comes in the form of a dove for the consolation of His daughter or He would walk around the church as if He were a ram with a bright star in the middle of his forehead” (408).
The Life of Mary is one example of what a pious woman should act like. She should be quiet (living a life of silence), emotionally connected (uncontrollable sobbing), and feminine or motherly (holding the childlike manifestation of God to her chest). The excerpt does not mention women as students in the same way that men in monasteries are portrayed as fully engaged in intense study. Women are more likely to spend their day “at simple tasks—caring for the sick, spinning, weaving” as is written in the introduction on page 405. Mary has a set role to play but she seems to embrace it wholeheartedly. Today’s take on this would no doubt be different and the author himself begins to question the way this female character has been overlooked. Jaques inquires, “Why do those who marvel at the worms which swarmed from the wounds of Simeon [Stylites] and are awe-struck at the fire with which Antony burnt his feet not wonder at such strength in the frail sex of a woman who, wounded by charity and invigorated by the wounds of Christ, neglected the wounds of her own body?”
The Life of Mary of Oignies (1213) is written by Jaques de Vitry who was a canon living according to the Rule of St. Augustine at Oignies. The Beguines were a group of women devoted to lives of piety although they had no official commitment. The group was led by Mary and only became formally recognized through Jaques’ appeal to the papacy in 1216. In her biography we discover that Mary was moved to tears by the thought of Jesus’ death. She was known for her inability to stifle her crying. One day she was told by a priest to stop crying. She was unable to do this and so she left the church. She then asked God to help the priest understand her struggle. Later, the priest too was overcome with tears. At another time Mary becomes angry that she ever enjoyed worldly pleasures. Her reaction is to chastise her body and cut herself with a knife. She also found refuge in a life of silence. It was said that because of her silence “she would fly up to heaven without going to Purgatory” (407).
The desire to achieve a more personal communion with the divine can easily be seen in Mary’s actions. She preferred to live quietly. She often ignored the communal aspect of life and focused on her inward feelings towards God. She detested earthly pleasures and preferred to reflect on the nature and perfection of God. Her tears illustrate how well connected she was with the Lord emotionally. The author interprets Mary’s outbursts in a positive way just as Mary looks at them herself. When questioned about her constant outbursts she claimed, “These tears are my refreshment…They are not violently wrenched out but are freely given by the Lord” (406). Through her emotions she could understand the divine. Her passion proved that she could comprehend and experiences the truth of her creator. If she has felt God then she has known Him. It is one of the most personal connections that can be had. She also spends time with Him in different forms as is explained in chapter 88. Jaques writes, “she held Him close to her so that He nestled between her breasts like a baby” and He “comes in the form of a dove for the consolation of His daughter or He would walk around the church as if He were a ram with a bright star in the middle of his forehead” (408).
The Life of Mary is one example of what a pious woman should act like. She should be quiet (living a life of silence), emotionally connected (uncontrollable sobbing), and feminine or motherly (holding the childlike manifestation of God to her chest). The excerpt does not mention women as students in the same way that men in monasteries are portrayed as fully engaged in intense study. Women are more likely to spend their day “at simple tasks—caring for the sick, spinning, weaving” as is written in the introduction on page 405. Mary has a set role to play but she seems to embrace it wholeheartedly. Today’s take on this would no doubt be different and the author himself begins to question the way this female character has been overlooked. Jaques inquires, “Why do those who marvel at the worms which swarmed from the wounds of Simeon [Stylites] and are awe-struck at the fire with which Antony burnt his feet not wonder at such strength in the frail sex of a woman who, wounded by charity and invigorated by the wounds of Christ, neglected the wounds of her own body?”