Rebecca Lester recounts a Roman Catholic monastery in central Mexico in Jesus in Our Wombs to investigate a set of postulants’ life, education, and practices. These are young women preparing to become separate and committed nuns. Lester gives a considerable biography of these youthful women’s struggles to embrace what they perceive to be God’s plan as they fight with uncertainties, anxieties, ambitions, and defeats.
Lester attempts to relate a theory of the ego and the self to a concept of the physical body in Jesus in Our Wombs. The essential argument is that embracing a specific congregation appeared to assist youthful postulants in coping with the pressures of being a woman in modern Mexico (Lester, 2005). It aided them by providing an alternative to two diametrically opposed cultural forms of femaleness: the contemporary, upwardly mobile, technologically smart, independent woman and the conventional, domestic, mentally sound housewife (Lester, 2005). The sisters saw religious development as an activity of rediscovering a real hidden femininity and then leveraging that femininity to repair a world torn apart by oppression and discrimination (Lester, 2005). As a result of their religious education, the postulants learnt to see religious choice as a socioeconomic and cultural responsibility as well as a personal duty. Overall, the arguments within all the sections of the book’s first part are formed clearly and are relevant. It is true since the author, for instance, provided a separate paragraph related to the clarification of the argument and thesis statement.
Eighteen women are followed on their initial, transforming path in a Mexican monastery as they shape their body practices to match with a spirituality free of modernism. The postulants are confident in giving selflessly and actively to less fortunate people. They are not a meditative community, and they try to be living testimonials of Christ’s unfathomable love, with the goal that each would serve as a modest example of how to be a real woman (Lester, 2005). Their grievances range from plutocrats to high divorce and homicide rates to the mundane consuming habits of the majority of people (Lester, 2005). The novitiates were taught to be Christ’s children, spouses, and mothers at the same time. These women were radicalized while learning about wider cultural issues. Feminism and Marxism can be considered in the center of the philosophies Lester discusses. In terms of Buddhism, there are parallels between what Jesus and Buddha stated and between Jesus’ messianic narrative and ancient Buddhist writings. The result is that, while Jesus did not recognize himself as a Buddhist, he thought similarly, and the analysis can be significant to Buddhism.
In fact, concerning the ways the emergent Mexican identity is defined against the United States as the representative of modernity, it is feasible to emphasize that the author specifically highlights Mexico in terms of femininity. Issues about industrialization, political influence, and cultural shift that were accentuated in the Mexican cultural context influenced the personal experience of regendering in the monastery (Lester, 2005). The postulants learnt to see their disputes regarding femininity as a symptom of a greater dissatisfaction with modernity (Lester, 2005). As a result, their interactions with gender included connections with political and social themes (Lester, 2005). In this sense, the postulants’ cloister memories intersected with their religious convictions on the one side and larger secular cultural challenges on the other.
In this case, it is possible to relate religious aspects to the factor of cultural differences and context. Catholic and Protestant followers are common faiths both in the United States of America and Mexico. In fact, these religions are connected to the conception of Jesus and his thoughts. In terms of modernity, cultural aspects can be reexamined using other relevant theories and concepts. Considering the Chapter 13, it can be stated that the author emphasized two main questions that have to be analyzed. Firstly, is it necessary to have a theory of the body in order to have a definition of the self (Lester, 2005)? In addition, what impact can rigorous theorizing of an embodied self have on the existing understandings of consciousness and social dynamics (Lester, 2005)? In general, the book provides a comprehensive overview and discussion related to the substantial transformations and processes connected to the postulants and overall cultural contexts. Discernment before joining the convent is described, as well as austerity, modesty, and devotion. Beyond religious development, the sections on brokenness, belonging, confinement, and regimentation address varying levels of dedication.
To summarize, in Jesus in Our Wombs, Lester seeks to connect a theory of the ego and self to a concept of the physical body. The fundamental idea is that adopting a certain congregation seems to help young postulants cope with the rigors of modern Mexican femininity. In summary, the book thoroughly reviews and discusses the significant transitions and processes involving postulants and their broader cultural surroundings. The author discusses discernment before entering the convent and austerity, modesty, and devotion. The parts on brokenness, belonging, confinement, regimentation, and religious development cover varied levels of commitment.
Reference
Lester, R. J. (2005). Jesus in our wombs: Embodying modernity in a Mexican convent. University of California Press.