In the last days the whole world is looking at the photo of the black hole, which confirmed Einstein’s theory from 100 years ago. Katie Bouman was the head of the team that managed to do it. Already two years ago, at the TEDx conference, she explained how to photograph an object that from the Earth’s perspective is the size of an orange on the moon!
For me this is fascinating not only from a scientific point of view, but also social changes taking place in the world. When I was studying at the Warsaw University of Technology, I sometimes heard malicious sayings like: „A female engineer is like a guinea pig – neither a pig nor from Guinea.” (the Polish version has a bit more sens ;)) Of course, it was not nice to listen to such comments, but they always motivated me to be more and more myself and to serve better with the talents that I received. These two ladies in the picture show in a spectacular way that in this masculine world women can play an important role and it is not only a decorative one. I did not follow in my father’s footsteps and did not make a career in science, and now I do not even work in my profession, but it is well known that I am much more proud of my engineer’s title than my master’s degree. Precisely because I like to be in places that are not so obvious.
It is quite similar when I think about the Church. Although we have many wonderful women who have received the title of Doctor of the Church not for their good looks, but for great achievements that have changed the course of history, still woman’s voices are less heard and often overlooked. And I do not have the conviction that we must now fight for equal rights, but rather that we must show the world how much we have to say and not be discouraged by attempts to clip our wings. Especially if the matter concerns a field in which everything should be concentrated on the relationship with God. After all, can you find a better specialist on relations than a woman? John Paul II spoke about the „genius of a woman”, and Francis courageously is walking the same path, entrusting important positions to women.
I think that the Easter period is a perfect time to look at the role of women in the Church. After all, it is no coincidence that the most persistent under the cross turned out to be women, and it was them, who saw Jesus first after the resurrection. If we have the same determination and love as the first female Christians, our voice will be heard more and more clearly and we will become apostles of his tenderness in the world.
