“‘The people called her Our Lady of Chains. They called her that not because she wore chine…’
‘Not because she wore chains,’ the Daughters chanted.
‘They called her Our Lady of Chains because she broke them.”
When I was reading this scene, all I could think was “man if only they were this passionate about Jesus!” But I truly think that this is an exceptionally spiritual moment. I had chills when I was reading because there is this intimacy. I know that most Christian readers would say no way to any type of emotionalism with another ‘god.’ But I disagree. Yes I believe that there is one God. No I do not think that any one or thing could replace Him. But I find it encouraging that people are searching for Him. They may find Him in ways that we cannot understand but they are still searching. I think these women are headed in the right direction. They understand that you carry Him with you, they understand the beauty in the relationship, they understand that He can bring healing and intervention and hope. But they relate these qualities to a female statue. That is the only negative part. The rest of the segment is liberating and emotional and elevating.
I think this is interesting because most of this story has the theme of feminism that is interwoven in every fabric of the story. The "Daughter's of Mary" are no different in the fact that their religion is also focused on the figure of a female (Jesus' mother) instead of Jesus himself. I agree that their religion is skewed, and definitely a little off, but you are right that they have found something greater than themselves to devote themselves to, and it does bring them hope and healing through the novel in unique ways.
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