Eucharist: A Feast for All – The Evolution of Love by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

Like the earliest followers of Jesus who gathered around tables in their homes to remember him and live his Way, women priests today are leading a renewal of Eucharistic gatherings that reclaim the heart of Christian faith. Around open tables, where bread and wine are shared in loving communion with all creation, the Eucharist becomes more than ritual—it becomes the cosmic Mass of the universe.

It is a coming together in the midst of life’s chaos, a gathering of people committed to justice, peace, and equality. It is the real Presence of the Universal Christ embodied in all living beings. 

It is more than human language can describe. Eucharist is the evolution of love—hands and hearts connecting, caring, and sharing. It is the bread of life blessed and broken, the cup of compassion blessed and poured, filling bodies and souls with vibrant energy for the journey. This Sacred Mystery is always more than we can imagine, and every theology is but a reflection of how God’s people have experienced Divine Love in their time and place.

The medieval doctrine of transubstantiation arose in a context shaped by juridical categories of guilt and sacrificial atonement. While it safeguarded belief in Christ’s presence, it also reinforced a hierarchical model in which priests held exclusive power and the faithful became spectators rather than participants. Too often, Eucharist was reduced to a transaction for sin, rather than an overflowing encounter with God’s love.

By contrast, a contemporary theology of Eucharist reclaims its original meaning as eucharistia—thanksgiving. It is a celebration of blessing, inclusion, and transformation. The Real Presence of Christ is revealed not only in the consecrated bread and wine, but also in the gathered community, the Word proclaimed, the Spirit breathing through creation, and the mission that flows from the table into the streets. 

Eucharist is not the possession of the priest but the gift of Christ to the whole community of disciples. This vision affirms baptismal equality, honors diverse gifts, and calls the entire assembly into co-responsibility as the living Body of Christ.

The witness of the earliest Church confirms this horizon. In Acts 2:42–47, believers “broke bread and prayed,” shared possessions, and cared for the poor—a Eucharistic life that extended beyond ritual into justice and solidarity. The Didache, one of the earliest teaching documents, portrays Eucharist as a communal thanksgiving meal uniting the faithful as “one loaf” and “one vine.”

 These roots remind us: Eucharist was never intended to be locked in clerical control or reduced to metaphysical puzzles. It was, and is, the heartbeat of a community transformed by love.

Today, women priests at the Table of Christ embody this vision. They proclaim that the Body of Christ is all of us. They lead the people of God from exclusion to embrace, from hierarchy to shared responsibility, from fear to hope. 

Around open tables, Eucharist becomes a feast of empowerment where the excluded are welcomed, the broken are healed, the weary are nourished, and all are sent forth as sacraments of justice and compassion.

This Sacred Mystery transcends all words, yet its truth shines clearly: Eucharist is a Feast for All—a cosmic banquet, a table without walls, a sacred evolution of love.

“The Surprise Guest List” Luke 13:22-30 August 24, 2025 Rev. Annie Watson, Holy Family Catholic Church

There is an old joke about a man, a good Catholic, who meets St. Peter at the Pearly Gates to be escorted into heaven or the kingdom of God. St. Peter gives the man a brief tour, beginning with a humongous worship facility. 

Each spacious room in the building is hosting a worship service that accommodates the religious preferences of the people. Peter first takes the man past the room holding a Catholic Mass and tells him, “You will probably want to come back here later.” 

Then he takes the man past a room where Protestants are listening to an old guy preaching a lengthy sermon, as Protestant pastors tend to do. After that, he takes the man past a room where Pentecostals are swinging from the chandeliers and speaking in tongues. 

Finally, as they make their way down the hallway, St. Peter turns to the man and says, “When we walk past this next room, be very quiet, because they don’t know we’re here yet. If they ever see the guest list in the kingdom of God, they will be very surprised.”

This is the question we all have, is it not? Who gets in, and who doesn’t? There are generally two mindsets about this. First, there is the mindset that salvation belongs only to a few. This is reflected in the question the person asks Jesus in Luke 13: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”

It sounds like Jesus affirms this viewpoint when he mentions “the narrow gate,” and that many people will not be “strong enough,” presumably to open the gate. Therefore, many people will be left outside knocking on the door or trying to gain entrance through the Pearly Gates, but without success.

Even those who participated in a faith community in this life, those who “ate and drank” or fellowshipped in a faith community, even those who went so far as to listen to the teachings of their faith, will be left out in the cold. 

This is a very harsh scenario. When people peer through the Pearly Gates and see others in the kingdom of God, people they are surprised to see, “there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” 

That’s one mindset. It certainly reflects the mindset of those who might be enjoying the benefits of the kingdom of God at this very moment and have no idea that others are there yet. Even today, many Christians hang on to this notion that the gate to heaven is narrow and/or hard to open. Maybe it makes them feel special to think that they will be one of the few.

On the other hand, there are people who have a different mindset, a more graceful attitude. Even as Jesus seems to affirm the “narrow gate” view, he also opens the door for a wider, more inclusive perspective when he surprisingly tells the questionerthat “people will come from the east and the west and the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.”

Does Jesus change his mind here? Does he begin with a “narrow gate philosophy” and then end with a “six-lane highway coming from all directions philosophy”? Does he suddenly remember the words God spoke to Isaiah, saying, “I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.” 

As the questioner tries to make sense out of what Jesus is saying to him, Jesus then throws the ultimate curve ball, saying, “some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Here’s what he means by that: Those we think are most prepared to get in might be the ones who are least prepared, and those who think they are not worthy enough to get in are probably the ones who are most worthy. 

Is he trying to say that we will all be surprised when we see the guest list in the kingdom of God? I think so.

So, then, what about the “narrow gate”? What could this mean? Here’s a possibility: A narrow gate isn’t a closed shut and locked gate. Maybe a “narrow gate” just means that no one gets to rush in, that it takes time, and that everyone needs to be patient and take their turn. 

And because “some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last,” the guest list, and in the order in which we arrive through the gates of the kingdom of God will surprise everyone. It will especially surprise those who think they are the only ones there. Amen.

Why Women Priests’ Liturgical Rites Use a Theology of Blessing vs. a Theology of Atonement by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

People who attend our liturgies for the first time often comment on the beauty of our prayers — prayers that emphasize God’s tender love and use inclusive language that affirms every person’s dignity. They notice how the words are spacious, gentle, and justice-oriented, unlike what they may have experienced in traditional church settings.

So I respond: what they are experiencing is not accidental, but intentional. Our liturgies are grounded in a theology of blessing, not a theology of atonement. We believe that God’s first and last word to creation is blessing, not condemnation; love, not fear. This choice shapes everything: how we pray, how we celebrate Eucharist, and how we live as a community of equals.

The liturgical practices of inclusive Catholic communities reflect a decisive theological reorientation. Instead of privileging a theology of atonement — reconciliation with God through Christ’s sacrificial death — these communities draw from a theology of blessing, centering on creation’s goodness, God’s indwelling Spirit, and the baptismal equality of all. This shift not only reshapes worship but reclaims an ancient Christian emphasis on life, inclusion, and Spirit-filled empowerment.


1. Atonement: The Traditional Framework

Classical Catholic liturgy and theology have long been shaped by atonement theories, especially Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo (11th c.), which argued that human sin required satisfaction only Christ could provide. Liturgically, this framework appears in penitential prayers, the language of unworthiness, and the priest functioning as mediator who re-presents Christ’s sacrifice.

Feminist and liberation theologians have critiqued this model: 

• Elizabeth Johnson notes that substitutionary atonement risks portraying God as a “punitive father demanding a violent satisfaction” and diminishes the life-giving dimensions of Jesus’ ministry and resurrection (She Who Is, 1992).

• Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Parker, in Saving Paradise (2008), argue that for nearly a thousand years early Christians emphasized paradise, community, and resurrection life rather than crucifixion and appeasement.

• Joan Chittister similarly observes that liturgies shaped around guilt and atonement often reinforce patriarchal control rather than liberation (In Search of Belief, 1999).


2. Blessing: A Renewed Theological Vision

A theology of blessing shifts the center of worship from guilt to grace, from debt to gift. Rooted in the biblical witness — God’s original blessing of creation (Gen. 1:28), covenantal blessings, and Jesus’ Beatitudes — this theology recognizes the sacredness already present in humanity and the world.

Women priests’ liturgies embody this vision in distinctive ways:• Gratitude replaces appeasement. Eucharist becomes an act of thanksgiving (eucharistia) rather than a transactional sacrifice.

• Equality replaces hierarchy. The presider speaks as one within the assembly, affirming the Spirit present in all, not as a mediator above the community.

• Life replaces death as the central symbol. Resurrection, inclusion, and healing are celebrated as the heart of salvation.

Matthew Fox captures this shift with his phrase “original blessing,” reminding us that humanity is not primarily defined by sin but by divine belovedness (Original Blessing, 1986).


3. Why Women Priests Choose Blessing over Atonement:

• Pastoral Healing: Women, long scapegoated as “daughters of Eve,” are affirmed as blessed bearers of God’s image. Feminist theologian Elizabeth Johnson stresses that women’s dignity must be rooted in God’s original and enduring blessing, not in narratives of guilt.

• Ecclesiological Integrity: A theology of blessing aligns with Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza’s vision of the Church as a “discipleship of equals” (In Memory of Her, 1983).

• Prophetic Witness: Joan Chittister insists that blessing is empowerment — a recognition of God’s Spirit alive in people, especially those marginalized by institutional structures.

• Spiritual Anthropology: Richard Rohr frames blessing as humanity’s foundational identity: “We are not born in sin; we are born in blessing. Sin is forgetting this truth” (Falling Upward, 2011).

• Living Testimony: Our liturgies are celebrations of God’s lavish love where all are welcome, all are blessed, and all share in the prayers of consecration. In this way, we embody a renewed priestly ministry rooted in the radical equality of baptism.” Bridget Meehan, Living Gospel Equality Now, 2010).

• Blessing as Resistance: I also emphasize that blessing is a form of prophetic resistance: “Every time we bless bread and wine in inclusive communities, we are defying unjust laws that discriminate against women. Our blessings proclaim God’s justice, healing, and equality in the heart of a patriarchal church.” (Bridget Meehan, Living Gospel Equality Now, 2010).

4. Liturgical Praxis of Blessing

Liturgies demonstrate this theology of blessing through:

• Eucharistic prayers centered on gratitude for creation and God’s Spirit within all.

• Inclusive language that replaces clerical dominance with communal participation (“we bless,” “we give thanks”).

• Mutual blessing rituals, such as shared laying on of hands, affirming the Spirit’s presence in every participant.

• Co-presiding practices that dismantle hierarchy and affirm the baptismal priesthood of all believers.


These liturgies embody a profound theological correction. Salvation is not a transaction to appease God’s wrath but the awakening to God’s unceasing blessing.

 In choosing a theology of blessing over atonement, women priests recover a vision of the Church as an egalitarian, Spirit-filled, resurrected community. Their liturgical practice stands as a prophetic witness that the Body of Christ is incomplete until the blessing of women’s voices and leadership is fully celebrated.



References:

•Brock, Rita Nakashima, and Rebecca Parker. Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire. Beacon Press, 2008.

• Chittister, Joan. In Search of Belief. Crossroad, 1999.

• Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins. Crossroad, 1983.

• Johnson, Elizabeth. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. Crossroad, 1992.

• Meehan, Bridget Mary. Living Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God. Crossroad, 2010.

• Fox, Matthew ,Original Blessing. Franciscan Press, 1986.

• Rohr, Richard. Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. Jossey-Bass, 2011.

Visiting Lee and Sharing Prayer Intentions

 

Pink Smoke Over the Vatican- free on YouTube

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrY6gy3dvLc

The Tree of Life and the Prophetic Vision of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests by Bridget Mary Meehan

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) is not merely an organization but a living symbol of the Tree of Life—a biblical and universal image of divine vitality, rootedness, and transformation.  

In the Book of Revelation, the Tree of Life stands at the center of the New Jerusalem, its leaves given “for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2). ARCWP’s mission, of ordaining women and marginalized genders in communities of baptized equals, likewise, is not for itself alone, but for the healing, wholeness, and renewal of the entire Body of Christ.

 Roots in the Gospel and Tradition

Like the deep, unseen roots of the Tree of Life, ARCWP draws nourishment from the radical inclusivity of Jesus, who lifted up the marginalized, broke bread with the forgotten, and entrusted the first Easter proclamation to Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles. These roots also tap into the memory of early Christian communities where women and men shared leadership and sacramental ministry. They are further enriched by spiritual leaders of our time—Joan Chittister, Elizabeth Johnson, Richard Rohr, and countless women and men who refuse to accept inequality as God’s will.

The Trunk of Prophetic Witness

The trunk of this Tree represents ARCWP’s prophetic strength. Standing firm against the storms of resistance, it offers a visible sign that God’s Spirit is still at work, calling the institutional Church beyond fear and control into freedom and renewal. This trunk is scarred by exclusion and condemnation, yet those very scars witness to the resilience and faith of women priests in a worldwide movement who continue to serve God’s people. As the prophet Isaiah declares: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth—do you not perceive it?” (Isa. 43:19). ARCWP embodies this “new thing” in the life of the Church.

Branches of Growth and Transformation

The branches stretch outward, embracing diversity and embodying change. In Europe, the Americas, Africa, and beyond, new ecclesial communities are sprouting—each one a branch that offers shade, shelter, and sacramental life to the People of God. The branches do not grow in one direction only; they weave into a canopy wide enough to welcome every seeker, especially those wounded or excluded by the institutional Church. The fruit borne by these branches is compassion, justice, and Eucharistic love.

Spirituality and Prophetic Vision

At its heart, ARCWP is not only reforming structures—it is cultivating a new spirituality rooted in baptismal equality and the liberating power of the Spirit. It is a spirituality of courage, where women say “yes” to God’s call even when the institution says “no.” It is a spirituality of communion, where each person’s gifts are honored, and circular leadership replaces hierarchy. It is a spirituality that echoes the words of Pope Leo XIV’s call for the Church to be a ‘leaven’ of unity and love.

Prophetically, ARCWP offers a vision of Church as living Tree:

• • Rooted in Christ's Inclusive teachings and example 
• • Growing in outreach to new members and.communities
• • Bearing fruit of equality and compassion in a discipleship of equals
• • With leaves that heal the brokenness of patriarchy and clericalism

This is not a small dream, but the Spirit’s dream for a renewed humanity. The Tree of Life does not belong to one denomination or tradition—it is a symbol that transcends borders, religions, and cultures. In this sense, ARCWP’s witness speaks not only to Catholicism but to all who long for a faith that is inclusive, transformative, and alive with the Spirit of love in emerging vibrant communities.

Links to Talks Given at Leadership Conference of Women Religious 2025: Be Inspired!

 

Presidential Address -- Kathy Brazda, CSJ

https://www.youtube.com/live/PXLeiRw6mKE

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Hope Unbroken: The Call to Work for the Healing of the World


8/14/2025 11:25am

https://youtube.com/live/3EQl-TrYRY8?feature=share


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Hope Unbroken: Staying Grounded in Leadership


8/15/2025 9:20am

https://youtube.com/live/riT_UOHbkC0?feature=share


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Outstanding Leadership Award Presentation


8/15/2025 8:00pm

https://youtube.com/live/wz_E1FAuD58?feature=share

Homily: Feast of the Assumption of Mary, August 15, 2025 by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

Mary is depicted as a "eucharistic bishop" in art.
See Ally Kateuz's research: https://allykateusz.org/art-as-text-powerpoints/two-marys-two-traditions 

Mary, Holy Mother, Loving Sister, Faithful Companion, First Priest is with us as we bless, protect and serve those in need

While the doctrine that Mary Mother of Jesus was bodily taken up to heaven at the end of her earthly life, was not dogmatically defined until 1950 by Pope Pius X11, evidence of this belief can be found in patristic narratives from the third and fourth centuries. 

The Assumption of Mary was celebrated in the fifth century and became official in the ninth century. In the 21^st century, we can reclaim its liberating message to challenge gender oppression and affirm the sacredness of women’s bodies.  With Mary, we can pray a Magnificat of blessing for a new order of justice and equity for the excluded and marginalized everywhere. 

We live in a world where female bodies are abused, violated and trafficked for profit every day. The World Health Organization reports that globally about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. (WHO,March 25, 2024 )

The significance of Mary’s Assumption affirms that not only Mary’s body is sacred, but all women’s bodies, and the embodied selves of all genders are sacred. Our full humanity reflects our glorious divinity. As we sing in our liturgy: “We are holy, holy, holy!”

In their article entitled “Mary, Mother of God, Mother of the Poor, Latin American theologians Ivone Gebara and Maria Bingemer write:

“Mary’s assumption brings a new and promising future for women…{it} restores and reintegrates women’s bodiliness in the very mystery of God. 

Starting with Mary, the dignity of women’s condition is recognized and safeguarded by the creator of that very bodiliness. 

In Jesus Christ and Mary the feminine is respectively resurrected and assumed into heaven – definitively sharing in the glory of the Trinitarian mystery from which all proceeds and to which all returns.”

 Dr. Ann Lee at university of Divinity in Australia cites, the authority of Mary as the basis for the ordination of women priests today. She concludes: “if the world received the body of Christ from this woman, Mary, then women today should not be excluded from giving the body of Christ, as priests, to the faithful at Mass.”

Indian feminist  Kochurani Abraham describes Mary’s Magnificat as bringing about a new vision: “the vision of a new social order based on equality, justice and freedom for all. This new vision would subvert social hierarchies and power structures that are oppressive and this is what we hear foretold in today’s gospel.”  ... 

This new vision which we call the reign of God would be realized wherever people share, where they love the earth and all is creatures, where they take a stance to include the excluded ones of this world into the table fellowship of life.” (Homily “birthing a new order. (Catholic Women Preach)

 

According to the Synod on Synodality, the Church must be a Church for everyone including the marginalized. The means that the institutional Church must subvert hierarchies and male-only power structures in order to foster an inclusive Church of baptized equals.  

The good news is that inclusivity is the vision of the emerging Church – the thousands of small faith communities around the world -who are following Jesus’ example of inviting everyone to an open table for the Eucharistic feast.

 Let us rejoice with Mary and proclaim our own Magnificat as we lovingly bless and offer compassionate care to our sisters and brothers in word and deed! 

Let us live our prophetic vocation in this community of baptized equals to speak truth to power and to work for justice- trusting that we will have all we need to do what God is calling us to do!

Let us celebrate with Mary our glorious humanity -one in Christ -in the Divine Heart of love as we bless, protect and heal our sisters and brothers who are suffering in our world!

Where is God in the Future of Women Religious Orders? Fr. Jim Martin SJ

Article by Tim Reidy, editor of America 

“ Last week, my colleague Father James Martin traveled to Atlanta to address the 2025 assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. As he acknowledges in his remarks, which we have adapted for this week’s Cover Story, this is a difficult time for many religious orders in the United States. Drawing on his recent book on Lazarus, Father Martin acknowledges the sadness that many feel at this moment:  

“We can wonder why we are no longer getting as many vocations, why so many in our circle of friends are dying and why our beloved ministry sites are closing. And we can wonder: Jesus, where are you?” 

This is a question that Martha and Mary also asked when Lazarus was near death. Where is Jesus? Why isn’t he here to help us?

The answer to that question, then and now, may be unanswerable. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing we can do. 

Father Martin points to Lazarus, who did not know what Jesus was calling him to when he announced, “Come forth!” But he got up anyway and followed the sound of his master’s voice. “

“Can we,” he writes, “like Lazarus, fully trusting in Jesus, confident in the future because we are confident who it is who is calling us, say yes to God?”

Is anyone better equipped to answer this call than the women religious we know and love? 

Tim Reidy, Deputy Editor in Chief  

“Challenge Accepted” Homily by Rev. Annie Watson, Holy Family Catholic Church, Austin, Texas

 

Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53

August 17, 2025

 

As we saw in the Gospel lesson, religion can cause conflict between people, even family members. No matter the religion, no matter the time it appears in history, when people begin to move into new religious expressions, there will be quarrels within families and communities.

Sometimes it can get serious. Jesus was nailed to a cross because people opposed his words and actions. We read that Jeremiah the prophet was thrown into a cistern by members of the royal family because they didn’t like what he was saying.

We like to call our religion “peaceful,” but we just read where Jesus challenges the assumption that His coming guaranteespeace in our hearts, peace in our families, peace in our communities, peace in our nation, or peace in the world. If we ever expand out into the galaxy, I’m sure our religious differences will create some level of division even there.

Like every religious tradition that has ever existed, the gospel of Jesus Christ often divides people. One can imagine sons, daughters, and in-laws in both Jewish and gentile familiesjoining the new Christian movement, which lead to division and conflict. 

This continues today in many places around the world. But for the most part, people in our families generally belong to the same or similar religion, such as Christianity. Even when we disagree about some of the finer points, we are not likely to fight about it too much. We are much more likely to fight about politics.

Division, conflict, animosity, quarrels, squabbles, and disagreements are inevitable, but we shouldn’t accept this to bethe end of the story. Yes, we should operate under the assumption that anytime we take our faith seriously, someone will not like it. However, rather than accept conflict as the norm, we should be motivated and inspired to create the peace that is not guaranteed.  

Rather than back down and sweep our faith under the rug, we should tell ourselves, “Challenge accepted.” After all, Jeremiah didn’t give up his mission after he was thrown into the cistern by people who hated him. Jesus didn’t give up his mission after he was nailed to the cross. And we shouldn’t give up our mission because people don’t like what we have to say.

Peace might not be guaranteed, but we should accept the challenge to pursue peace. We can start with inner peace. Peace begins within each one of us. When our hearts are anchored in peace, our presence becomes a refuge for others.

Once we find peace within ourselves, we can speak peace into existence. We can say the right things. As Proverbs 15:1 reminds us, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” Whether it’s in our families, workplaces, communities, or congregations, we can choose words that heal, not harm. 

Along with our words, we can create peace through our actions. On a small or large scale, we all have the ability to seek peace and its companion, justice, with our words backed up by our actions. Accepting the challenge to create peace means standing up for the marginalized, listening to the unheard, and working toward a world that reflects God’s desire for peace. 

Another way to help create peace is to forgive. Nothing restores peace to the world like an act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a weapon of peace in a world addicted to violence and revenge.

When you add all this up, a peacemaker is a bridge builder. The real challenge is to listen more than we speak, to understand more than we judge, and to love more than we construct boundaries. As Paul challenges us in Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Accepting this challenge of creating peace in a world of conflict means waking up each day and choosing love over hate, unity over division, and hope over despair. It’s not easy, but challenge accepted.