THE LIVING BEING WHO GENERATES LIFE: ANALOGY BETWEEN THE FEMALE BODY AND THE MYSTERIES OF CREATION

Abstract

This article rises the hypothesis that it is possible to think theologically about the corporeality of the Earth in an analogy with the corporeality of women. First, we criticize some dualistic elements that have shaped theological language. Next, we present the Christian theology of the Creation as a process which includes a gender perspective; then we reflect on the Earth as the body of creation. We subsequently move on to examining women’s corporeality in two senses: its openness and receptivity, and its capacity to share and distribute itself in order to feed others. The text evolves towards affirming that this analogy can generate a mystic and an ethic; it allows contemplation of the mystery of both the earth and the feminine, simultaneously revering and protecting their vulnerability. It privileges the care for life and the return to the maternal and common home; i.e., the Earth. In the last part of the text, we present some extracts from texts by the French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil. The conclusion raises some theological challenges to overcome the anthropocentrism which has been harming the Earth and women in this historical moment.