Las Manos Femininas | The Feminine Hands
Editor’s Note: Missioner SarahJane Cauzillo reflects on the beauty and strength of the women she has encountered in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
An ode to the working women at Hogar Nuestra Casa, who have introduced me to the Feminine God
I have learned to see God as feminine
in the working hands of women—
hands that create, give, and preserve life.
In these feminine hands
we experience warm embraces,
tears wiped away,
wounds touched and covered,
kisses transferred.
From these feminine hands
the clap, the pound, the drum,
the catch, and the protection—
the fight comes forth
for the underdog;
for the one about to hit
the rock bottomed floor.
With these feminine hands
typing, signing, calculating,
writing, imagining, and creating,
they make ends meet when they are miles apart;
they advocate for the voiceless;
they keep hope alive
for the hopeless.
With these feminine hands,
rubs, scratches, squeezes,
ripple in waves of affirmation
through the receiver’s body—
affirming that we are not alone.
As these feminine hands
wash and scrub
bodies, vegetables, houses, streets,
souls, and inner wounds,
we are healed and replenished.
It is in these feminine hands,
that mere flour and water
are turned into sweet bread,
and potatoes and corn
into a nourishing meal.
It is in these feminine hands,
that two coins
are turned into security for our family.
With the touch of these feminine hands,
tears are transformed into joy,
anger into justice,
bitterness into compassion,
and hurt into strength.
Through these feminine hands,
Miracles and Sacraments
are performed every day:
what was missing appears;
the ordinary becomes
the extraordinary.
Mercy, grace,
compassion, and peace
radiate through every
finger tip.
In the hands of women,
lies all that is sweet
and good in the world.
In these hands
I see God as Feminine.
I pray to You,
Mother God,
thank you.
For your Divine Images
in the feminine creatures that accompany me
and who allow me to accompany them
every single day.
Reflection Question: How has God revealed their presence through the women in your life?
