To Be A Servant-Woman
A doula is a woman trained to provide pregnant women with comfort and help while they labor and bring new life into the world. The term “doula” comes from the Greek word for “servant-woman.” And I know this because I want to be one.
After having several children of my own—and witnessing the incredible transformation of women becoming mothers—I have become fascinated and enamored with the transformation birth brings to women.
I have also realized that my role as a small group moderator with Magdala is a little like being a doula. Here, I am also a servant-woman, helping other women bring forth new life, and in them I witness another beautiful transformation.
Through the labor pains of recovery, they are being made new.
When my small group began, I could read the faces of the women in my video chat: they were nervous, excited, hopeful, and not entirely sure what to expect but seeking support anyways. They came to the table eager for new life—for a transformation only Christ can bring.
That transformation doesn’t come without considerable effort though; new life cannot be brought forth painlessly. It takes willingness to invite Christ into your wounds and receive Him there. That’s hard work, but it is not done in isolation because we are called to communion.
Our Lady—on the tails of the most consequential, angelic encounter in the whole of human history—travels in haste to support Elizabeth in her hour of need.
Intimately united to Christ in her womb, she still seeks to serve. Our Lady: a doula unlike any other!
We don’t have an itinerary for her three month stay in the hill country of Judah, but we can imagine what it must have been like to tend to Elizabeth before and after the birth of John. Sure, there would be the physical tasks of cooking, cleaning, and diapering, but there would also be lots of listening to Elizabeth’s hopes, fears, and dreams. There would be prayer together, sisterhood and camaraderie. In a unique way, Mary facilitates Elizabeth’s intimacy with Christ because in bearing witness to Elizabeth’s heart, so does Christ in her womb.
I watch the women in my small group, week after week, put in the work of recovery with their hands extended towards Christ. I listen to their sorrows and joys, their setbacks and victories, and I offer it all to Our Lord. What a privilege it is to bear witness to their hearts and what a joy it is to have a window into the way they welcome Christ. And in return, I leave our meetings filled with tremendous hope.
If you’re discerning the call to moderate a small group, spend some time meditating on The Annunciation and Visitation of Mary, and then travel in haste to the Elizabeths waiting for you.