"A Radical Vatican?" by Naomi Klein

..."Now, all of a sudden, these outsiders share many of their views with the most powerful Catholic in the world, the leader of a flock of 1.2 billion people. Not only did this Pope surprise everyone by calling himself Francis, as no Pope ever had before him, but he appears to be determined to revive the most radical Franciscan teachings. Moema de Miranda, a powerful Brazilian social leader, who was wearing a wooden Franciscan cross, says that it feels “as if we are finally being heard.”

For McDonagh, the changes at the Vatican are even more striking. “The last time I had a Papal audience was 1963,” he tells me over spaghetti vongole. “I let three Popes go by.” And yet here he is, back in Rome, having helped draft the most talked-about encyclical anyone can remember.

McDonagh points out that it’s not just Latin Americans who figured out how to reconcile a Christian God with a mystical Earth. The Irish Celtic tradition also managed to maintain a sense of “divine in the natural world. Water sources had a divinity about them. Trees had a divinity to them.” But, in much of the rest of the Catholic world, all of this was wiped out. “We are presenting things as if there is continuity, but there wasn’t continuity. That theology was functionally lost.” (It’s a sleight of hand that many conservatives are noticing. “Pope Francis, The Earth Is Not My Sister,” reads a recent headline in The Federalist, a right-wing Web magazine.)..."

"Before bed, I spend a little more time with “Laudato Si’ ” and something jumps out at me. In the opening paragraph, Pope Francis writes that “our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.” He quotes Saint Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures,” which states, “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.”

Several paragraphs down, the encyclical notes that Saint Francis had “communed with all creation, even preaching to the flowers, inviting them ‘to praise the Lord, just as if they were endowed with reason.’ ” According to Saint Bonaventure, the encyclical says, the thirteenth-century friar “would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of ‘brother’ or ‘sister.’ ”

Later in the text, pointing to various biblical directives to care for animals that provide food and labor, Pope Francis comes to the conclusion that “the Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism unconcerned for other creatures.”

 

 

 

Letter to Editor of National Catholic Reporter by Deacon Clare Julian Carbone, ARCWP

NCR Letter to the Editor July 17-30th
Parents Needed In response to Pope Francis' statement that children need heterosexual parents, ( NCRonline.org/node104241) I would like to emphasize that what children are really in need of are loving, safe and affirming homes in which  to grow and develop into their truest and best selves.  This may be provided by same-gender parents as well as heterosexual ones. At the heart of raising children, the essential element is the wholehearted love, security and nurturance given them by their parents, not the gender combination involved.
 Having said this, my question for our beloved Pope Francis would be, why is having heterosexual parents necessary in secular family life but not in church family life? Why are there only "fathers" present at the altar and not "mothers" ?  Does this not create for all of us a grave double standard? Is there not a need as well for the unique presence, gifts and governance of both genders within the life and growth of the church?
  My hope is that we may consider more integrally both the kind of nurturance children are in need of and the kind of feminine presence and spiritual "mothers" the church has long been in need of.
  Clare Julian Carbone
  Salt Lake City, Utah 

"What Francis Needs to Know" , A Call To Action Forum on Women in the Church

What Francis Needs to Know

WRITTEN BY RYAN HOFFMANN

 | 

JULY 17, 2015

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FOCUS AREAS: CHURCH WORKER JUSTICE, LAY ENGAGEMENT, LGBT JUSTICE, WOMEN AND GIRLS EQUALITY

On Saturday, July 25 Call To Action and several other organizations will convene a forum on women in the Catholic Church called, “Women in the Catholic Church Today: What Francis Needs to Know.”

The free one-day forum will examine and discuss Pope Francis’ changes in the church and focus on the largely ignored concerns of Catholic women. Speakers will include experts in church history, Catholic theology, and the lived experience of Catholic women.

If you or a group would like to watch the live-stream from your location, you can view it here.

 

 

http://cta-usa.org/forum-on-women-in-the-catholic-church-what-francis-needs-to-know/

"Of Miracles and Messes", from Questions from An Ewe

Dear Pope Francis,

I have written you a few letters but never received the favor of a reply.  Nonetheless, I continue writing in hopes that someday we discuss pressing issues in the church. 

I am inspired to write again now after listening to this weekend’s reading from Jeremiah, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD (Jer 23:1).”  With U.S. Catholics’ mere 25% Mass participation rate that’s dropping as I type, I am starting to wonder if it’s possible for the shepherds to destroy and scatter the flock much more than they’ve already done.  Have we not suffered enough from their poor shepherding skills?  Is it not time to stop doubling-down on the sheep-scattering tactics and exchange them for exemplary shepherding skills?

Maybe you too feel dismayed at your brotherhood's individual and collective flock-scattering penchant and prowess.  Is that why during your recent Latin America trip you expressed hopes in the upcoming Synod on the Family to produce scandalous miracles?  Is that why you again exhorted the church’s youth to “make a mess?”  Do you believe the church is already such a mess from inept leadership that it would be difficult to distinguish any further destruction at this point?

I write because I’m confused.  To quote Ghandi, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do.”

Frank, simply put, what are you waiting for?  Be the miracle you hope to see!  Make the mess you hope gets made!

I offer ten suggestions of miracles and messes you could do today, by mere virtue of the white pointy hats you own and the fabulous chair you sit upon in St. John Lateran’s Basilica.

1.  Re-institute married clergy.  Nothing needed to do this but the stroke of a pen…specifically your pen.  Please take it out, remove the cap, dip it in the papal ink well and scribble away…

2.  Re-institute ordaining women as deacons.  Again, there’s no obstruction to doing this.  Benedict paved the way by declaring that deacons no longer act in persona Christi.  While your pen is out please handle this one too.

3.  Change Canon Law to remove ordaining women as a grave delict and instead add bishops who mishandle sexual abuse cases.  Then please address the numerous bishops guilty of this grave delict.

4.  Tell the truth.  Dispense with clinging to false biological, medical and psychological teachings as foundations to establishing “truths” about human sexuality.   You can’t say you’re the penultimate guardian of truth if you don’t tell it.

5.  Change canon law to prevent Catholic employers from denying their employees access to medical care just because they fear it.  The medications used to treat many female health issues can also be used for birth control.  However, the medication itself is merely a tool.  Indeed it is a tool often used to help conceive life.  It is one particular usage of that tool to which you object, yet the tool is outright banned.  Consistent application of this rule would see the rope cincture around your waist barred since many people have been hanged using ropes.  Furthermore having episcopal review boards rather than medical ones determining whether or not women can have certain life-saving procedures performed at Catholic hospitals is just derelict.  Stop this practice at once.  Scribble that into canon law and make the U.S. bishops fix their medical ethics document to reflect the change.

6.  Lift the excommunications hanging over all people.  Grant general amnesty since, “Who are you to judge?”

7.  Cancel any meetings in Philadelphia that lack women – laywomen – not cheerleaders for church status quo and not only religious women, but regular women who are mothers.  They can teach you much about what it means to be a holy mother as you try to lead “Holy Mother Church.”

8.  Cancel any meetings in Philly that are exclusively with clergy and all meetings with Archbishop Chaput unless he accompanies you to meet with groups such as Fortunate Families being barred from attending his World Meeting of Families.

9.  Take time when you are in Philadelphia to meet with women with such a strong sense of calling that they are willing to endure scorn, rejection and excommunication… Yes, that’s right; meet with Catholic women priests.  Understand why they do what they do after you listen to understand what they do.  Then make them dinner and serve it to them.  This can be done in person and thus save on those expensive charges for overseas cellphone calls you must be racking up with your spontaneous, surprise pope-calls.

10.  Update the papal wardrobe to align with the poor – perhaps a nice pair of second hand jeans and a t-shirt from the St. Vincent de Paul store would be in order.  These are practical work clothes and require far less bleach and fuss to clean than the flowing white gowns you currently wear…  Maybe you can have a big garage sale at the Vatican and sell your white vestments to a traveling band of dentists in dire need of white fabric.  It’s just a suggestion.

I think if you did any one of these ten suggestions, you would definitely cause a mess and be seen by some as creating scandal while to most of the scattered flock seem like you just worked a miracle.  Isn’t that what you’re going for here?  Or are your words just supposed to make good press?

Sincerely,

A ewe…still in the flock despite being metaphorically beaten with multiple shepherds’ staffs as they try to run me out of the flock…  “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture…”

 

A Tribute to Women Priests' Movement Videographer and Supporter Rick Sapp

GodTalk Telly Awards: for Mary for All Ages and Exploring God's Boundless Love

Rick Sapp and Bridget Mary Meehan at First U.S. RCWP Bishops' Ordination on April 19, 2009
in Santa Barbara, California

Rick was our videographer for this historic ordination for RCWP in the United States. We shared a plan ride to Los Angeles and then drove up to Santa Barbara. He spent hours editing the major parts of this Rite that he shot that great day.  (available for view on link below)

My dear friend Rick also was the dedicated director and editor of GodTalk which aired on public access TV in N.VA. for ten years. Anna, his first wife, who died seven years ago -around this time- was also dedicated to making our show a work of art and fun time for the entire crew in the studio at Fairfax Public Access.  

I am  grateful for the gift of his time  in support of our vision of spiritual programing that built bridges of understanding between different faith traditions. Both Rick and Anna's enthusiasm for women's equality and empowerment was evident in every production event and in every show we aired. 

Rick also covered my priestly ordination on July 31, 2006 in Pittsburgh, PA.  In addition, he covered several major ordinations for ARCWP.  You can see his video work on youtube and google. Many of the links are up on the RCWP site. www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org

I officiated at Rick and Nancy's wedding in June.  See photo and story on blog below.

He died this week. His funeral is today at St Thomas UMC in Manassas.  My heartfelt prayers and condolences to his family especially his wife Nancy, daughters Katie, Robin and grandson Talon. 

  I will miss Rick. I am sure that I will feel his love and presence with me and with our movement forever.

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

Windsor’s 1st Roman Catholic Woman Priest to be Ordained as Canada’s 1st Woman Priest Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Release date: July 9, 2015

From: The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (See: www.arcwp.org)

Contact:  Janice Sevre-Duszynska, D.Min. (media)

(859) 684-4247 rhythmsofthedance1@gmail.com

Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, (703) 505-0004, sofiabmm@aol.com

See: bridgetmarys.blogspot.com

On Saturday, July 25, 2015, at 2 p.m., the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests will ordain Barbara Billey a priest, barbbilley56@gmail.com (519)735-3943. The ordaining bishop will be Bridget Mary Meehan.  The ceremony will be held in the Chapel of Cardinal Smart Retirement Living, 3140 Peter St., Windsor, ON (519-254-1112). Parking at St. Michael’s School.  A dinner will follow at 6:30 pm, 140 Bridge Ave., Penthouse (Buzz #6). Street parking only. All are welcome.

Barbara is a registered psychotherapist and art therapist who has a private practice working with children, youth and adults.  She enjoys using the creative arts as part of her healing ministry in order to facilitate encounters with the Sacred. Barbara holds graduate degrees in education and counseling/art therapy as well as a Doctor of Ministry. “We, God’s beloveds, the sacraments, and the Church cannot be truly whole without women at all levels of ministry, including priesthood.  While I’ve had many challenges in this sacred calling, deep within is a steadfastness that sustains my going forward. I’m gripped by this grace.”

July 25^th is also the 10^th anniversary of Canada’s first woman priest, Michele Birch-Conery, liberata999@gmail.com (519) 962-7016 who was ordained on the St. Lawrence River in 2005.  A retired professor of English Literature and Women's Studies with a focus on Women and Religion, she lived and ministered on Vancouver Island, British Colombia with outreach to the GLBTQ Dignity Vancouver community. In 2013, she moved to Windsor where she collaborates with Barbara and their Heart of Compassion Faith Communities in Ontario and Michigan.

As urban priests and compassion activists, Michele and Barbara presented the Charter for Compassion for adoption by the City of Windsor and are currently supporting the empowerment of young women of various faith traditions through their Wisdom Women Circles of Compassion initiative. In Detroit, Michigan and area, they also partner with Deacon Jeni Marcus in activism with GLBTQ communities and an ecumenical Call to Action community.

Pope Francis in his Encyclical on Mother Earth, Laudato Si, writes, “God’s love is the fundamental moving force in all created things (77).  No system can completely suppress our openness to what is good, true and beautiful, or our God-given ability to respond to [God’s] grace at work deep in our hearts.”

Women priests are responding to the Spirit’s call to serve in a renewed priesthood within a circle of equals. In our prophetic movement of justice-making, spiritually transforming and righting relationships, we are mystically healing the Earth, the circle of life, and the wounds of sexism. As images of the Divine in partnership with all of creation, our lives call out for the full equality of women.

We ask Francis to make the connection between the disempowerment and domination of women in church and society and the abuse of women and creation.  In response to the growing interest of women to be ordained, ARCWP will ordain three bishops in Philadelphia, USA on September 24^th, including one from South America.

Vocations! Shortage of male celibates, but not of women priests! Wake up Vatican and ordain the Ladies!

http://ncronline.org/blogs/roman-observer/vocations-shortage-has-become-acute-crisis

Celebration of Ordination of priests Sally Brochu and Kathryn Shea, Deacons Lorraine Sharpe and Ronnie Dubignon in May 2015 in Sarasota Florida, Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan,www.arcwp.org (over 210 in international movement of Roman Catholic Women Priests)

"Somethings Missing from Pope Francis' Vision of Equality- Women"

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/somethings_missing_from_pope_francis_vision_of_equality_-_women_201507
Bridget Mary's Response:   Until Pope Francis makes the connection between gender equality, poverty, and violence in the world and sexism in the church, women will remain second class citizens and poverty, abuse and violence will continue to rise. The good news is that women priests are making a difference by living Gospel equality now. I hope that Pope Francis will come and see for himself. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

 (In Latin America

)"...But the feminization of poverty (an increase in the levels of poverty among women or female-headed households relative to the levels of men or male-headed households) increased from 109 percent in 1994 to almost 117 percent in 2013,according to the United Nations.

Women’s labor participation in the region remains more than a quarter less than that of men, at 52.9 percent, compared with 79.6 percent, as recorded in 2010 statistics. And while the wage gap has shrunk, women still earn a staggering 68 percent less than their male colleagues. South American women are also twice as likely as men to be unpaid workers...

Of the little research that exists, the statistics on violence against women in Latin America are gruesome. A recent U.N. report published in the Economist found that a woman is assaulted every 15 seconds in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city. It states that in Colombia, “attacks in which acid is thrown at women’s faces, disfiguring them, nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2012.” Moreover, of the 25 countries in the world that are high or very high in the U.N.’s ranking for femicides (killings of women that seem to be related to their sex), more than half are in the region.

Research shows that when women have access to contraception and are educated to make responsible choices, their income, employment and education levels rise, as do their children’s. As women’s choices expand, they have fewer unassisted labors and backstreet abortions, meaning maternal mortality is reduced, and, depending on the type of contraception used, life-limiting sexually transmitted diseases are contained.

But because the Vatican considers women second-class citizens, it goes without saying that the pope will not mention abortion or contraception during his South American tour.

Figures show that of the 4.4 million abortions performed in Latin America in 2008, 95 percent were unsafe, and about 1 million women are hospitalized annually for treatment of complications from such procedures. In this context, it should be noted that the pope has described the abortion-rights movement as a “culture of death” and has opposed Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s efforts to distribute free contraceptives.

..." as Jemima Thackray writes in The Telegraph, “the Catholic Church’s growth is coming from non-European countries where the so-called ‘liberal’ issues of sexual equality are considered less important.”As much as he has advocated “rethinking the outdated criteria which continue to rule the world,” Francis has repeatedly embraced the traditional Catholic view that a woman’s role is in the home. Extolling the role of women specifically as mothers by declaring “the presence of women in a domestic setting” as crucial to “the very transmission of the faith,” Francis has said, “I think, for example, of the special concern which women show to others, which finds a particular, even if not exclusive, expression in motherhood.” Although women may have lives outside the home, Francis has urged us not to “forget the irreplaceable role of the woman in a family.”

Given the pope’s outspoken views, we’ve been hoping he’d get around to addressing gender inequality eventually. But lest we forget, the Vatican is—and always will be—a patriarchal institution based on sexual hierarchy. Asked on two occasions about the possibility of admitting women to the ranks of the clergy, Francis has given a firm no. “That door,” he said in 2013, “is closed.” As Thackray explains, “this is not about having a Western liberal agenda for equality for its own sake, but about acknowledging that in allowing women into positions of influence in the church, this would raise their general status, reducing their vulnerability and poverty. Perhaps,” she continues, “it would also help shake up some of the closed male-dominated systems which have caused some of the other worst abuses by the Catholic Church.”

It would be no violation of doctrine to recognize women as equally and intrinsically valuable, regardless of their familial role or fertility. Until the pope’s vision of equality includes this, it’s incomplete."

Link to article on Women Priests in Compassion Community

 http://mspmag.com/Out-And-About/Articles/Features/Called-Out/

Who You Are Makes a Difference Homily, July 5, 2015 Rev Patricia A. Zorn, ARCWP Priest

The story “Who You are Makes a Difference” by Helice Bridges, comes from the 1^st book in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series.

When I attended my first seminary, one of our fellow classmates gave each of us a bookmark that said, “Who You are Makes a Difference, Thanks for Making a Difference in My Life.” I was touched by this act of kindness.

I had a copy of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book at home and went back to re-visit the story:

A teacher in a NY school wanted to tell the students in her class how they the difference they made in her life and in the lives of each other. She called each student to the front of the class and presented each one with a ribbon that said, “Who You Are Makes a Difference.”

The teacher gave her students a challenge and extra ribbons. She encouraged them to go out into the community and pass on a ribbon; thanking each person for making a difference in her/his life. The teacher wanted feedback on how lives were impacted by this “pay it forward” method.

The students passed out the ribbons and a miracle happened.

A junior executive passed on one of the ribbons to his boss explaining the school project and how much he appreciated him. The boss was a grouch.

The executive told his boss he was a creative genius and then gave his boss an extra ribbon; asking him to pass it on.

When the boss got home that night, he sat his 14 year old son down and said, “The most amazing thing happened to me today” and he began to relay the story. He told his son, “As I was driving home, I was thinking about whom I wanted to give this ribbon to and I want to honor you.” The man went on to explain, “My days are hectic and when I come home I don’t pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you to get your homework done. You’re a great kid and I love you.”

The son cried and replied, “I was planning on committing suicide tomorrow, Dad, because I didn’t think you loved me. Now I don’t need to.” What a great story and its true!

Back in 2005, I handed out cards to all the members of our community that said, “Who You Are Makes a Difference, Thanks for Making a Difference in My Life.” I wanted to thank our church members for making difference and here’s why:

Our church was invited to participate in a local fundraising project for the holiday.

We set up a booth as vendors, selling various food items to raise money for our outreach ministry of “Helping One Family at a Time.” Individuals from the community were very generous.

God carefully choreographed the entire disbursement plan.

A few weeks after our venture, a woman I knew lost her husband in a tragic accident. There was no life insurance and she had no money. As a couple, they lived below the poverty line with no resources for funeral costs.

I immediately asked for assistance from our community on her behalf and the response was, “Yes, do it.” I was so proud to be part of this fine group and to be their pastor.

Ten years later, these fine people are still transforming lives.

Remember, “Who You are Makes a Difference and Thank you, for Making a Difference in My Life.” Amen!

www.arcwp.org

Your Donations Will Help Our Women Priests Movement ARCWP Grow

Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, Inc.                         

3041 Stuart Drive ~ Macon, GA  31204

July 7, 2015

SUBJ:   Urgent and Immediate need

Dear Friends of ARCWP:

Thank you for standing beside us as you support our ministries through sharing in our Eucharistic communities, your enthusiasm, prayers and donations during this past fruitful year.  Together, we have been called to serve and work for justice and equality in our communities and in the world. The Spirit has been calling us at an increased rate and we are answering the call for women’s involvement in our church at all levels.

Yearly, we come to you, dear friends, family, communities, and supporters to ask for your financial help.  However, we have an urgent and immediate need.  In September we will be ordaining three new ARCWP Bishops – two additional Bishops in North America and one Bishop in South America.  The ordination will be held in Philadelphia the week that Pope Francis will be there. 

We are requesting your support for the following immediate needs:

·         Travel expenses to include airfare, food and lodging in Philadelphia

·         Media/advertising/brochures

·         Website maintenance and update

For example:

·         Your donation of $1,000.00 will pay for an airline ticket from Columbia, South America, to Philadelphia. 

·         Your donation of $500.00 will provide for lodging expenses.

·         Your donation of $500.00 will assist with advertising expenses.

·         Your donation of $250.00 will assist with printing expenses.

·         Your donation of $100.00 or $50.00 will help defray additional ordination expenses. 

Any gift, no matter the amount, is timely and makes you part of our movement for justice and equality in our Church.  Please give, as you are able. 

Your donation can be sent via credit card on our website at: www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org  and scroll down to the “donate” tab, or your check can be mailed to:  ARCWP, 3041 Stuart Drive, Macon, GA 31204. 

Thank you and we are asking God’s blessing for you and your loved ones.

Bridget Mary Meehan, Bishop

On Behalf of The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, Inc. is a 501©(3) tax exempt organization.

No goods or services were provided by ARCWP in exchange for this contribution.

Your donation is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

"A Rebuttal to the Roman Catholic Hierarchy’s Position on Same Sex Marriage" Jennifer Marie Marcus, Esq., Deacon, ARCWP, July 2015

It was no surprise that Cardinal O’Malley of Boston and Archbishop Joseph E. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, President of the National Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops, roundly criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v Hodges. That case held that legal prohibitions against same sex marriage were unconstitutional as violations of Fundamental Liberties under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

Quoting Archbishop Kurtz from the NCCB Press release:

“The nature of the human person and marriage remains unchanged and unchangeable. Just as Roe v. Wade did not settle the question of abortion over forty years ago, Obergefell v. Hodges does not settle the question of marriage today. Neither decision is rooted in the truth, and as a result, both will eventually fail. Today the Court is wrong again. It is profoundly immoral and unjust for the government to declare that two people of the same sex can constitute a marriage.

The unique meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is inscribed in our bodies as male and female. The protection of this meaning is a critical dimension of the “integral ecology” that Pope Francis has called us to promote. Mandating marriage redefinition across the country is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us, especially children. The law has a duty to support every child’s basic right to be raised, where possible, by his or her married mother and father in a stable home.

Jesus Christ, with great love, taught unambiguously that from the beginning marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman. As Catholic bishops, we follow our Lord and will continue to teach and to act according to this truth.”

Cardinal O’Malley opined:

“The institution of marriage understood in its human, moral and legal dimensions is a fundamental building block of any society,” “The protection of marriage and families is a shared responsibility for all of us.”

As the above statements reflect the Roman Catholic Church, as well as other faith systems still act, operate, think and function as if they remain in the Dark Ages They erroneously maintain that they are speaking for a static God based on ancient pre-scientific stories and texts they view and believe as “God Speak” We all know that God does not write, speak or use human language and most certainly did not write our sacred texts giving rise to the teachings of our faith systems. For if God did, we would not be having these queries, discussions and disputes. The texts would be indelibly fixed and clad in gold! These collective works of pre-scientific wisdom and so called truths are human inventions, albeit divinely inspired .They were written down by human imperfect agencies subject to a limited knowledge of the cosmos, and affected by their own biases, prejudices and cultural realities which at the time were fundamentally misogynistic and patriarchal. Just as God is not static, nor is human evolution and humanity’s accretion of scientific knowledge and understanding of the universe In that light, we all know that the so called “ancient truths” espoused and promulgated by the Church like the earth being flat or the center of the universe ,slavery  as an accepted  practice,  or the Aristotelian concept that women are under developed and unevolved half men, and are therefore ,subservient to men are examples of unenlightened pre-scientific thinking. More germane to the subject of marriage, it too, has evolved over millennia from the ancient biblical accepted cultural practice of polygamy to its present general understanding and form, as was discussed at the beginning of the majority opinion in Obergefell..

The Roman Catholic Church Hierarchy’s reliance on biblical texts establishing “the truth “of God’s will that marriage is solely between a man and a woman with the primary aim of human reproduction is further weakened by their version of truth being viewed and interpreted with a lens by a select cadre of old celibate men” who received their filtered canon from the misogynistic, patriarchal “Church Fathers” in 325 Nicea. (Side Bar: The Jesus Seminar that studied the scriptural texts and attempted to filter out the actual sayings, teachings and miracles of the historical Jesus could not attribute the aforementioned teaching to the historical Jesus .It, therefore is a product of the early Church.)  To make matters worse the hierarchy’s vision is clouded by their understanding   of “Natural Law” handed down from such Dark Ages and medieval misogynistic, patriarchal “Church Fathers” like, Augustine and Aquinas.” who were obviously clueless as to current scientific concepts and thinking in such disciplines as archeology, paleontology, genetics, anatomy, physiology psychiatry, endocrinology, embryology, sexual orientation and gender identity .Those sciences now view that being Homosexual. Transgender, Bisexual, Intersex and Gender Queer are immutable characteristics that a person is born with and a not a matter of an intrinsically evil choice brought on by mental illness. What is equally troublesome many of these same Church leaders are in no position to judge and pontificate from a moral high ground given their actual involvement as perpetrators, or in the cover up of clerical and religious pedophiles.

There is also the theological problem that if you limit the interpretation of God’s will to a select group of men in the Vatican you are also suppressing the Holy Spirit who speaks and works through All of God’s holy people i.e.  Sensus Fidei or Fidelium   Incorporating that concept in conjunction with   current scientific thinking and opinion polls on issues involving human reproduction, artificial contraception, human sexuality and gender identity, I submit that the Church would be taking a more favorable pastoral and dogmatic position on same sex marriage. At this point, the church hierarchy will argue “Relativism” but from what perspective? The tribal necessity of ancient Israel to promulgate the species for its survival certainly, not a concern today in light of global overpopulation. Nor is the medieval thought of “natural law” in light of current scientific advancements and thinking on the causes of homosexuality, gender dysphoria, intersexuality or other impairments to human sexual development .In essence this is not “relativism” but a product of a humanity’s accretion of knowledge and its evolution.

Some troublesome and illogical contradictions exists when the Church posits view that a marriage is solely between a man and woman with its primary purpose of bringing children into the world. That position is mitigated and falls short when it knowingly blesses and sanctions marriages between infertile couples because of the age or physical impairments of the couples involved. The church’s bases its acceptance of such unions on a pastoral biblical Genesis rational: “it is not good that man should be alone!”  …”Well, the same argument holds true for people of the same sex who are in love and wish to be together for a lifetime. Love is love and does not discriminate by sex or gender because it is the essence of God and God does not discriminate!

Associated with  the Church’s position on marriage focusing on  procreation and the fostering, nurturing and protection of children it contradicts itself by willingly ignoring  loving same sex couples who would love to have children of their own or gladly adopt if given the opportunity Yet, despite there being many orphaned , abandoned and homeless children in the world needing loving parents to love ,support and provide them with a home many of the Church sponsored adoption agencies refuse to place them with same sex couples.

Finally, despite their arguments and protestations to the contrary, the Roman Catholic Church and other backward faith systems continue to adopt, maintain, teach and practice their pre-scientific negative biblical and medieval views on women and homosexuals. Those backward twisted preachings and teachings gives license too many ignorant people of faith to perform acts of physical and emotional violence against members of LGBTIQ community and  women. What is most painful and disgraceful is when parents of LGBTIQ children “kick them out” of their homes and put them in the street , or drive them to suicide because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. The parents   perceive their child as being evil or sinful because that is what they were taught to believe by some half- witted priest or minister pontificating from some pulpit or ambo spewing half-truths or lies based on their view of scripture.. That was the case in the recent suicide death of Lelah Alcorn of Ohio in December 2014.becuase her faith based transphobic parents couldn’t deal with the reality that their child was transgender and in their mind’s destined to hell.!.

I maintain that the fate of women and people in the LGBTIQ  community are linked by the culture, society and its institutions including the Roman Catholic Church., because they view gays as  having feminine affectations. Consequently, LGBTIQ people are treated like women and considered lesser than men .i.e. second class citizens and in the case of Transgender people, third class citizens. .Hypothetically speaking, I suspect when the Church begins to treat women on an equal footing with men by elevating them .in leadership roles  or in recognizing their Divine call to Holy Orders  and the Episcopate the intertwined status of women and homosexuals would be elevated not only in the Church but the culture and society at large., I posit that it would be a  sign to the rest of the world that women and LGBTI people are scripturally equal to men in source divinity which would be consistent with the Vatican II Documents. Because we are all equal children in the eyes of our Creator, women and LGBTI people can no longer be morally, culturally, and legally be viewed as subservient to men, nor are they  property ,or lesser human beings.. In essence, women and LGBTIQ people are to be  treated with dignity and respect ,have equal employment rights, and be free of practices and laws that are  misogynistic ,patriarchal, homophobic, transphobic, bigoted , discriminatory  oppressive. and  result in all forms of emotional and physical violence. Behavior, actions or laws falling short of those prohibitions would be viewed as crimes against humanity .It is my belief that if the Roman Catholic Church took a progressive evolutionary position within its own faith system it would be a positive prophetic sign to the rest of the world .It would then challenge backward cultures, secular and religious institutions and governments to improve the lives of women and members of the LGBTIQ  community. I maintain that it would reduce the number of poverty stricken .and homeless people.in the world. ,as well as decrease the physical and emotional violence to women ,children and LGBTIQ  people, At the minimum it would invite serious global discourse of the scourge of gender and LGBTIQ  inequality and their  connection to poverty, misogyny, patriarchal oppression, homophobia, transphobia, discrimination and violence, and overtime be a  segue for positive social change and justice.

 

In conclusion, in light of current evolutionary Spirit driven Theology, Morality and Scientific thinking the Church has no rational basis to object to same sex marriages and adoption. because the primary Source of those marriages is Love and that is the essence of God.

 

www.arcwp.org

“Refusing to Hear” Ezekiel 2:1-5; Mark 6:1-13 July 5, 2015 Annie Watson, ARCWP

Mary Weber ARCWP and Annie Watson, ARCWP

Mary Weber and Annie Watson after celebrating mass at St. Mary of Magdala inclusive community in Indianapolis, Indiana on Sunday, July 5.

Homily:

Annie Watson, ARCWP

An elderly man thinking his wife was losing her hearing went about 20’ behind her and asked “Can you hear me sweetheart?” No reply. Moved to 10’ and inquired again. No reply. 5’ and not a word. A few inches behind her ear, he asked “Can you hear me now honey?” His wife said, “For the fourth time, yes!”

This little joke makes me wonder, “Who is it that’s not listening?” Most people tend to think that they themselves are the ones who are listening. Most of us see ourselves as attentive, ears to the ground, attuned people. It’s all those other people out there who aren’t listening to us! If they would only listen they would see things our way and everything would be great!

I’m talking about evangelism. “Evangelism” is an interesting word. It contains the word “angel,” a word that means “messenger.” So to practice evangelism is to be a messenger of good news. We have some good news to share, do we not? All we need are people who will hear what we have to say.

This is what is happening in Mark 6. Jesus had some good news to share with his hometown people, and then he sends his disciples out, two by two, to share (and practice) some good news. That’s great! If we have something worth sharing with others, we should.

My only criticism of this is the assumption that all the sharing should come from one direction. The people should listen to Jesus and his disciples. Nothing is mentioned about Jesus and his disciples hearing what the people have to say.

The story is familiar: Jesus goes to his hometown of Nazareth, he gives a good sermon, the people are “astounded,” but then they begin to question how someone they have known their whole lives, who comes from a family they have known forever, could actually have something meaningful to say to them. It all seems so condescending. After they think about it for a moment, the crowd begins to “take offense” at him.

At this point Jesus utters one of his most famous quotes, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house (where they were also refusing to hear him).” This is a universal truth. I am under no illusion that if I went back to Danville, Kentucky and started sharing homilies things would go well for me.

I would not be honored as a prophet in my hometown. They would treat me like a bad cold. They know me too well, or at least they think they do, and so there is no way their pride would allow me—of all people—to share the good news with them, not without close scrutiny and criticism.

After things didn’t work out so well in his hometown, Jesus decides to send out his followers, two by two, on an evangelistic mission, sharing the good news of the kin-dom of God, delivering people from “unclean spirits” and healing the sick. Again, the assumption is that the people should listen to his disciples, and not the other way around.

Jesus says, “If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” I get that. After all, Jesus was sending his disciples out to the surrounding villages with a clear cut message. If and when we have something to share that we sincerely believe everyone should hear, we become rather enthusiastic about it.

These days the easiest way to get one’s message out there is through social media. It has become a forum for people who feel like they have something important to say. It probably makes us feel more important than we really are. If more than a dozen or so people hit “like” on something we write we fool ourselves into thinking that we have really contributed something awesome to the world.

In some ways, the readings this week feed into our haughty attitudes, our feelings of superiority, and our false assumptions that people should just listen to us (and not the other way around). The story in Mark’s gospel feeds into our narcissistic belief that people should stop everything they are doing and hear what we have to say.

If they don’t we should just shake the dust off our feet (although I have to admit, it is unlikely that I would go share the good news of Jesus Christ with someone who lives on a dirt road. That’s just asking for trouble!).

Few of us consider ourselves prophets, but the reading from the book of Ezekiel also feeds into our sense of self-importance. According to Ezekiel, God spoke to him and sent him to the people of Israel, “to a nation of rebels” (which does not mean they were Confederate flag-waving Southerners, by the way, but they were rebellious). God tells Ezekiel these rebellious Israelites were “impudent and stubborn.” Because of that, they are unlikely to accept what Ezekiel has to say to them.

God says to Ezekiel, “Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.” God then tells Ezekiel not to be afraid of them no matter what they say or how menacing they look.

So here’s our problem, and here’s how I think these stories need to be heard in a different light, or at least with a caveat in mind: What if we are the ones who are refusing to listen? What if we are the ones with the menacing look?

Maybe today is as good a time as any to consider that we need to put our ears to the ground and that listening to other voices wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Like no other time in history there are plenty of opportunities to hear what others have to say.

We are bombarded with new information and messages every day. Some of it is actually good news, if not prophetic. We often hear very prophetic stuff outside the church. Yesterday, on Independence Day, we were reminded of “liberty and justice for all,” and hopefully we heard those words with fresh ears in the aftermath of what happened in South Carolina, and in light of the Supreme Court’s decision about marriage equality.

So yes, the church is potentially a wonderful herald of good news, and yet our voice isn’t the only voice out there. Even as we feel we are not being heard, we need to remember that there are many people today in many parts of the world who feel they are never heard: the voices of historically marginalized people, the voices of children, the elderly, the poor, the disabled, etc.

Evangelism should not just be a one-way street; it should be a two-way street. Before we stop to shake the dust off of our feet because someone refuses to hear what we have to say, let’s try hearing what they have to say first. 

An Interesting Reference to a Group of Women Priests and Worship of Mary in Early Christianity, Catholics View of Mary: Jewish Mother, Sister, and Goddess

According to Epiphanius of Salamis ( d. 403), who condemned them, the Kollyridians were a group of women priests "who worshipped the Virgin Mary and allowed women to serve as priests."

 Sounds like a rather interesting group of women priests who really irritated the hierarchy sort of like some of us today!

I can just hear some prelate muttering under his breath, "holy Mary Mother of God, give me patience! What will they come up with next?"

I see Mary, Mother of Jesus, as my Sister,  a prophetic companion on our journey to the full equality of women in the church! 

Many priests in the institutional church affirm Mary as priest, because she is the first who could say "this is my body, this is my blood." 

In my books on feminine images of God, I reflect on Mary as a visible symbol of a powerful image of the Feminine Presence of God in our midst. (Delighting in the Feminine Divine and Heart Talks with Mother God.)

For millions of Catholics throughout the ages, Mary has filled the need for the nurturing experience of a mothering God. Throughout medieval times God appeared as harsh judge, Mary as compassionate mother.  So , Catholics sought refuges for the absence of a maternal God in the arms of Mother Mary. 

Now, in our times, we are reclaiming her as our sister and friend, walking with us, guiding us on the journey to living and loving in the heart of our God. 

Catholics have once again claimed Mary as Jewish mother who is truly our sister. Read Elizabeth Johnson's book, Always Our Sister.)

How about you? How do you see Mary, and does she have a role in your life?

 Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

(In Quest of the Jewish Mary by Mary Christine Athans BVM, 2013, New York, Orbis, p. 24.)

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/priest-challenges-belief-in-perpetual-virginity-of-mary-1.2276593 Irish Redemptorist  Fr Tony Flannery said on his website: “We are told that Jesus had four brothers, and an indefinite number of sisters. This does not fit with the church’s need to present Jesus as the Son of God, conceived in a way that is different from other humans, and Mary as the perpetual virgin. So the scholars turned the brothers and sisters into cousins!”

"Lex credendi, lex vivendi: A response to Laudato Si’" by Ilia Delio,... Church Must Live Message of Interrelatedness and Inclusivity

http://globalsistersreport.org/column/speaking-god/spirituality/lex-credendi-lex-vivendi-response-laudato-si%E2%80%99-27446

"Conversion is essential, as the pope indicates, but it cannot be spiritual conversion alone. Rather, conversion must take place on every level of ecclesial life – spiritual, theological, structural, organizational, interreligious – until the world begins to feel the spiritual impulse of love at the heart of all life.
Laudato Si’ opens the doors to a new world by challenging a selfish world of disconnectedness and calling all people to a new world of interrelatedness. But the Church must model the very principles it promotes: mutual relatedness, inclusivity, interdependence, dignity of all peoples, shared resources and responsibilities, all creatures united together as brothers and sisters, woven together in the love of God. Teilhard de Chardin had a vision for the Church in an unfinished universe and I encourage Pope Francis to look to Teilhard’s evolutionary vision for the 21st century, to make Teilhard de Chardin a Doctor of the Church and to bring the good work he has begun to the next level of evolution."[Ilia Delio, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, D.C., will be the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University starting in August, 2015. She is the author of 16 books and the general editor of the series Catholicity in an Evolving Universe. Her new book Making All Things New: Catholicity, Cosmology and Consciousness will be published by Orbis Books in fall 2015.]

Bridget Mary's Response:

Pope Francis calls for conversion and interrelatedness, but until the Roman Catholic hierarchy   models inclusivity and treats women as equals,  the church  will not reflect the fullness of God's love in creation. The question is will Francis challenge the elephant in his own living room?   Our international women priests movement is leading the way.  We are offering a healing balm to the wound of sexism in the Roman Catholic Church by living Gospel equality now in inclusive communities of equals. Amen , Sister Ilia Delio,  Pope Francis must practice what he preaches and reform the institutional church. "But the Church must model the very principles it promotes: mutual relatedness, inclusivity, interdependence, dignity of all peoples, shared resources and responsibilities, all creatures united together as brothers and sisters, woven together in the love of God. "

"The Power of One" From the Radical Christian Life by Sister Joan Chittister OSB

The Power of One

In the sixth century, Benedict of Nursia was an aspiring young student at the center of the empire with all the glitz and glamour, all the fading glory and dimming power that implied.

Rome had overspent, overreached, and overlooked the immigrants on the border who were waiting—just waiting—to pour through the system like a sieve.

Rome—ROME!—the invincible, had been sacked. As in the book of Daniel, the writing was on the wall, but few, if anyone, read it.

In our own world, the headlines are in our paper, too, and few, if any, are reading them.

St. Benedict Feast Day July 11

But in the sixth century, one person, this young man, resolved to change the system not by confronting it, not by competing with it to be bigger, better, or more successful but by eroding its incredible credibility.

This one single person in the sixth century—without the money, the technology, the kind of systemic support our age considers so essential to success and therefore uses to explain its failure to make a difference—simply refused to become what such a system modeled and came to have a major influence in our own time.

This one person simply decided to change people’s opinions about what life had to be by himself living otherwise, by refusing to accept the moral standards around him, by forming other people into organized communities to do the same: to outlaw slavery where they were; to devote themselves to the sharing of goods; to commit themselves to care for the earth; to teach and model a new perspective on our place in the universe.

And on his account—though numbers, history attests, were never his criteria for success—thousands more did the same age after age after age.

Through it all, for over 1500 years, Benedictine communities—small, local, and autonomous—worked in creative ways to meet the needs of the areas in which they grew, struggling always to shape and balance a deep and communal spiritual life with the great social needs around them.

If the twenty-first century needs anything at all, it may well be a return to the life-giving, radical vision of Benedict. Perhaps we need a new reverence for bold Benedictine wisdom if civilization is to be saved again—and this time the very planet preserved.

—from The Radical Christian Life by Joan Chittister (Liturgical Press)