Image of women celebrating Eucharist in St. Priscilla's catacomb
Courtesy of Dorothy Irvin
Susan Ross in her book ,
Extravagant Affections, sums up some of the challenges and connections we face as reflect on sacramental theology from a feminist perspective.
“the jars of ointment of the church, the sacraments, need to be broken open, by all people, but especially by women. The horror of Jesus’ disciples at his allowing a woman to anoint him with costly oil is echoed today by the refusal of magisterial Roman Catholicism to allow women to preside at the Eucharist and to act as sacramental ministers. Jesus praised the women as a model of true discipleship for the entire community.”
We are this kind of paradigm shift now when the people of God are claiming their rightful role as equals in the church. Catholic feminist ministries for 25 years have been forging connections and meeting the challenge to dismantle the dominator model that continues to divide and cause divisiveness. We are forming partnerships. We are birthing a new model of grassroots communities of justice-seekers. We are opening up and offering alternatives in worship.
The jars of ointment that Susan Ross refers to is God’s own extravagant affections for humankind. She advocates neither adaptation of the existing sacramental system nor wholesale exodus from it. “Rather I argue for ways of expressing this ambiguity, within and alongside the sacraments. … I am convinced that sacramental theology is in need of some kind of feminist response. .As gifts of God’s extravagant affections and our own for God and for others, the sacraments provide opportunities for Christian women and men to express, play celebrate and live out the “riotous plenty that is God.”
The mystery of the divine cannot be contained in symbol but glimpses of who God is and who God is not is revealed at the same time. God is always so much more than we can name or imagine!! Therefore, in our prayer and ritual we need a rich variety of names and symbols to reflect the mystery of God beyond all names and symbols.
Roman Catholic Theologian and archaeologist, Dorothy Irvin in a recent conversation pointed out that in St. John Chrysostom's liturgy, the priest represented the people in the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist, the focus was on God’s action. Christ was represented by the poor, the hungry, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned.
For twenty-five years, Women-Church groups have created sacred space for women to gather to celebrate liturgy in open, creative, life-giving ways that affirm the fully equality of women. We shared our stories and celebrated that yes, we women are the body of Christ and our stories and lives are holy.
Mary Beben and I wrote a book,
Walking the Prophetic Journey for small Eucharistic faith communities that put together some of the liturgies that we had designed in our communities as resources. It was such a joy to write Eucharistic prayers that used feminine imagery for God and listed women’s names in the tradition as witnesses to the Gospel in these creative works of the imagination. The books sold out and now I provide this resource in electronic form and on cds!
What I see happening as RCWP emerges and claims our charism of a renewed priestly ministry is a new energy in the community for creating together a community where all are welcome at the banquet table especially the most alienated, rejected and marginalized members of the church and indeed outside the church. There are no boundaries. Christians form other churches are warmly welcomed to the table too.
What I hear from members of my community that gives them hope is that the people of God are experiencing women as revelatory of the divine. RCWP are reminding the church that women are equal images of Godde. A number of women have told me that they watch the videos that I put up on youtube and google because they want the reality to sink into their souls, to feel it in the marrow of the bones!
In Fl. and N.VA. enthusiastic Catholics gather in Mary, Mother of Jesus House Church. So I feel that we have come fully circle! We feel much closer to Jesus and the women leaders of the early church. We can identify with Jesus' ministry which was inclusive, non-hierarchical, challenging rules and regulations, the stus quo, especially by including the lowest, most marginalized as the priviledged. They were the people of God so highly favored, a reversal of the dominator model. In our sacramental celebrations, we have people who have been in the heart of the church for years and people who have been alienated for a number of reasons.
Our challenge is how to transform the existing Eucharistic liturgy with its patriarchal bias reflected in its prayers, and co-create the new together to reflect the mutuality, justice seeking, life affirming discipleship of equals. We definitely need new Eucharistic prayers for starters!!
We are a community where all are welcome at the banquet of love to experience the extravagant affections o f God in community, in creation, in our work for justice and equality in our world.
As we affirm women’s co-equal leadership in the sacramental tradition, we are creating a healing, reconciling, transforming community of co-responsibility and mutuality.
