" Wired in Grace:: A Prayer for Touching the Energy of the Holy Spirit in You and in Others" by Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

Jesus went into the wilderness and touched the passionate presence of the Holy Spirit within him *(Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ, p. 21.)

This divine energy emboldened him to challenge the religious and civic rulers of his time. In every encounter he touched women and men, who were suffering and heavily burdened, with compassion, and healed bodies, minds and spirits. 

Telhard de Chardin said: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." We are wired in, with and through the Holy One, and it is in this reality that we live, move and have our being.

So too, we experience the energy of the Holy Spirit, the living reality of God, within us, grace outpouring and unfolding in every area of our being, to bring healing to ourselves and our world. 

We can respond with understanding and kindness to our family, friends, and those who are anxious and stressed with all kinds of burdens. We can challenge injustice and inequality wherever we see it. We have the spiritual capacity to be the compassionate face of Christ and help transform the suffering of our sisters and brothers around us. We have the power, the divine energy, the passionate presence of the Holy Spirit within Us. One way we can begin is to be mindful of our own spiritual power to touch the energy of the Divine Spirit in us and in others. 

A Prayer for Touching the Energy of the Divine Spirit in You and in Others

1. Be mindful of the energy of the Holy Spirit, the Passionate Presence of the Holy One, moving in you ... ... and in your loved ones and the person (s) for whom you wish to pray...
2. Be aware of his / her / their suffering, anxiety, grief, depression 
etc ....
3. Be present in prayerful, loving compassion to this person 
or persons ....
4. Imagine Spirit energy permeating each person you are praying for ....    filling them with new life, peace, joy ....
5. Decide on something you can say or do to help this person or persons going forward ....

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

ARCWP : South America :Witness for Social Justice by + Olga Lucia Álvarez Benjumea ARCWP Obispa

We denounce and seek public review,
of  threats and psychological war against leaders 
of local communities in poor neighborhoods,
 in CALI BARRIO,  

Its different leaders like ALBA ESTELA HNA-
Franciscan BARRETO AND OTHER MEMBERS
listed on the  pamphlet below.

We sympathize with SR. BARRETO AND ALBA ESTELA 

and other ward leaders, They have worked voluntarily 
for justice and equality for the neighborhood 
in the spirit of the Gospel.  

We ask civil and religion authorities to investigate and to 
 protect these people who have given their lives and commitment. 

+ Olga Lucia Álvarez Benjumea ARCWP

Bishop

 https://evangelizadorasdelosapostoles.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/asociacion-de-presbiteras-catolicas-romanas-america-del-sur-solidaridad-con-la-hna-alba-estela-barreto-y-demas-lideres-del-barrio-verde-cali/

A Breath Prayer for Healing from Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

Breathing in Spirit / Christ Presence ...

Breathing out kindness, joy, love ....

Breathing in Spirit energy,  rising from Within Me ....

Breathing out forgiveness, justice and healing ....

.

Breathing in love ...
Breathing out love ....

Breathing in peace,
Breathing out peace ...

Breathing in healing ...
Breathing out healing ...

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

Video Clip of Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests Ordination of Blanca Cecilia Santana, by Bishop Olga Lucia Alvarez Benjumea, ARCWP, Colombia, South America

https://arcwpamericadelsur.wordpress.com/2016/02/12/video-primera-parte-ordenacion-blanca-cecilia-santana-y-diaconado-lucero-arias-arcwp/

Presbiteras Católicas Romanas América del Sur

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Somos un Movimiento Internacional dentro de la Iglesia Católica, en la búsqueda de Justicia e igualdad para mujeres y hombres en la inclusividad según la propuesta de Jesús de Nazaret

ARCWP-Colombia.América del Sur: Solidaridad con la Hna Alba Estela Barreto y demás lideres del Barrio

febrero 11, 2016

https://evangelizadorasdelosapostoles.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/asociacion-de-presbiteras-catolicas-romanas-america-del-sur-solidaridad-con-la-hna-alba-estela-barreto-y-demas-lideres-del-barrio-

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COLOMBIA: HOMILIA ARCWP ORDENACION JUDITH BAUTISTA Y DOS DIACONAS.EL 1° DE nov/14 POR BRIDGET MARY MEEHANEn "Liturgia y Pastoral"

Haciendo Historia de nuevo: La Primera Mujer ordenada en América Latina Por La Asociación de Mujeres Sacerdotes Católicas Romanas.En "Liturgia y Pastoral"

COLOMBIA: Traspasando fronteras invisibles, llevando solidaridad. Olga Lucia Álvarez Benjumea ARCWP*

CATEGORÍA:

MUJERES E IGLESIA

DEJA UN COMENTARIO

VIDEO SOBRE LA ASOCIACIÓN DE MUJERES SACERDOTES CATÓLICOS ORDENACIÓN DE BLANCA CECILIA SANTANA, POR LA OBISPO OLGA LUCÍA ÁLVAREZ BENJUMEA, ARCWP, COLOMBIA, AMÉRICA DEL SUR

VIDEO: PRIMERA PARTE ORDENACIÓN BLANCA CECILIA SANTANA Y DIACONADO LUCERO ARIAS ARCWP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtUQ_MCV1IU&feature=youtu.be

ORDENACIÓN BLANCA CECILIA SANTANA PARTE 2

Ash Wednesday Ecumenical Eucharist: Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community and St. Andrew United Church of Christ in Sarasota, Fl. Greg Russell and Bridget Mary Meehan, Co-Presiding

Rev. Greg Russell and Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP co-preside at Ecumenical Ash Wed. Service on Feb. 10, 2016

Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community and St. Andrew United Church of Christ celebrated an Ecumenical Eucharist which included distribution of  Ashes. See prayers, service and photos below.Rev. Greg Russell and Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, co-presided at this beautiful liturgy as we began Lent in a spirit of loving communion in Christ. 

 

Ash Wednesday Service for Peace Outside the White House, Feb. 10, 2016, Article by Janice Sevre Duszynska, ARCWP

Art Laffin of Dorothy Day Catholic Worker makes a cross of ashes on
the road after leading us in song.

This brisk February morning I took the Marc train from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. to begin Lent with peace activist friends gathering for an Ash Wednesday Liturgy of Repentance in front of the White House. As I put on my Latina purple stole, Meade led us with her guitar and in song with the “Prayer of Peace. “ Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Art Laffin who prepared the service then welcomed us with a reflection focusing on our country’s need for transformation in Joel 2, 12-18, “Even now,” declares our God,
 “return to me with all your heart,
 with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Mike Walli of Transform Now Plowshares 3 who entered the belly of the beast at the Nuclear Weapons Complex at Oak Ridge, Tennessee read from Oscar Romero, bishop of the poor and suffering.

I was among prophets. One by one these activists (most have done time) gave their own deeply rooted spiritual reflections. Each was a Prayer in Repentance: for U.S. War-making in Iraq, in Afghanistan led by Judith Kelly, for U.S. Drone Warfare led by Jack McHale, Nuclear Weapons led by Sr. Ardeth Platte, Our Desecrated Earth led by Katerina Sasieta, Racial Violence, Justice for Immigrants led by Scott Wright, For Prisoners led by Kathy Boylan, including grandmother Mary Anne-Grady Flores (Hancock Drone Base-NY), Jess Reznicek of the Hammer for Justice Plowshares (Northrup-Grumman-Nebraska), and Leonard Peltier and Whistleblowers Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, To End the Death Penalty, To End Torture, followed by a Litany of Repentance and Conversion. After each we sang twice “God forgive the wrong we’ve done, God forgive us now.”

Before the blessing and mutual distribution of ashes we sang Tom Conry’s song of the same name: “We rise again from ashes from the good we’ve failed to do. We rise again from ashes to create ourselves anew. If all our world is ashes, then must our lives be true, an offering of ashes an offering to You…”

We took turns during the ritual of marking the street with the ashes. I saw that people were making crosses, but I had a yen to shape a circle.

Images rose up inside me, memories of doing resistance with these holy ones across the country and the years, including Liz McAlister, widow of Phil Berrigan, who read the closing prayer from Bill Wylie-Kellerman’s Seasons of Faith and Conscience. As we ended singing the “World Peace Prayer,” I was looking at the White House.

Closing Prayer- From Bill Wylie-Kellermann, Seasons of Faith and
Conscience -  (Liz McAlister)

"To keep Lent is to follow Jesus in the prayer of wilderness and garden.
"To keep Lent is to confront the principalities and powers first of
all in prayer. With Jesus we face the dark side of ourselves; this is
so susceptible to capture and control by the powers. If it happens
that we keep vigil publicly at the gates of economic, military,
political or religious authority, we do so confessionally,
acknowledging the solidarity of sin.
"To keep Lent is to discover and remember who in heaven's name we are,
as person and community. We pray against all confusers and confusions
for our true identity and vocation. We know that means standing before
the cross and making some choices.
"The grace of this season is that Jesus suffers the choice with us.
He's been over the turf and is our brother exactly on that score, with
us in the struggle of our hearts. Let the further grace be that we
make our choice as disciples, in the mind and heart of Christ."

Peace activists hold up signs as they participate in liturgy.

Janice Sevre -Duszynska, ARCWP participates in Ash Wednesday Service, witness for  peace outside White House

Wisdom for Life from James Martin, SJ in My Life with the Saints

The Unity of the Christian saints rests on their commitment to Jesus Christ. Like the early disciples, who trusted the judgement of their master, we must trust God’s reasons for calling people quite different from us, even though those reasons may remain my, “Okay Lord

serious to us. As a Jesuit I have frequently met people who have sung the praises of another Jesuit whom I had quickly written off as too quiet or too cerebral or too ornery to do any good. It’s a reminder of the wisdom of the One who calls us together and sends us on a mission.

Pg. 386:

Perhaps, in fact, all that kept the fractious disciples together was Jesus himself – not so much their reliance on him to settle disagreements’ but their fundamental trust in him. They may have said, “Okay, Lord, I don’t like that other fellow very much, and I don’t really understand him, but if you say he’s part of our group, that’s good enough for me.

“My Life with the Saints” by James Martin, SJ; pg 385:

Bridget Mary's Response:

This really hits home as we journey as companions and equals in our Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. The challenge is to stay open to Spirit's call to live our contemporary discipleship  in a liberating, unified diversity! 

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

Homily at Holy Spirit Catholic Community, First Sunday of Lent by Beverly Bingle, RCWP

The book of Deuteronomy tells us that,
like our ancestors in faith,
we must recognize that the power of God
has brought us to this land flowing with milk and honey.
We are to say, “My father was a wandering Aramean”
who traveled from place to place,
out of oppression into freedom and security,
living in peace.
____________________________________
Between the years of 1835 and 1837,
violent acts were perpetrated
against the Jews of Marköbel, Germany.
George and Minnie, married there in 1833,
left Marköbel in the midst of that violence.
With two-year-old Henry, their only child,
they traveled the 4,200 miles to America,
hoping for peace and security
in a land flowing with milk and honey.
Henry married Anna Elizabeth, daughter of British immigrants,
and they raised three sons in northwest Ohio.
Henry's son Conrad married Sarah,
also a child of immigrants, hers from County Mayo in Ireland. They
traveled 25 miles west
and settled in Scott Township, Sandusky County, Ohio,
where they joined St. Mary's Catholic Church in Millersville,
east down the Greensburg Pike
about a mile-and-a-half from their Home in Tinney.
They raised seven of their nine children to adulthood,
sweating and scrabbling to make the boulder-strewn fields
flow with milk and honey.
Their youngest surviving son Cletus married Marie,
whose ancestors were Dutch and Danish and German,
Shawnee and British and French.
They found a small piece of land about halfway
between his native Tinney and her native Vickery,
rich and productive soil that became
for them and their three children
a land flowing with milk and honey.
____________________________________
Yes, my parents—
and their parents and their parents' parents,
as far back as I can trace—
were “wandering Arameans.”
I am blessed to live a long and fruitful life
and settle into a place flowing with milk and honey—
well, with eggs and lettuce and tomatoes and beans—
and the loving embrace of friends and family on the journey.
It's the history of the human race,
whether they're our ancestors by blood or by faith,
ordinary people looking for security,
self-esteem,
and the power to make a living
for themselves and their children.
____________________________________
Those Arameans that Moses talked about
were an ancient people in Aram and Babylonia—
the land we now call Syria—about 3,000 years ago.
Too many of today's Arameans are wandering the world right now,
hoping for a land
flowing with milk and honey
instead of bombs and bullets.
Over 7 million have left Syria in the last four years,
and another 2 million have fled their homes inside the country.
Nine million men, women, and children
running from violence and oppression—
that's equal to the whole population of the state of Michigan.
Over 200,000 have died from the violence.
That's like murdering seven out of every 10 Toledoans.
Or the entire population of Akron.
____________________________________
Toledo, a city built by immigrants, has offered safe haven
to 54 of the 80 Syrian refugees received in the State of Ohio
in the last four years.
Some of you volunteer with our local organizations
to help refugees settle here:
UsTogether, Welcome TLC, and Water for Ishmael.
Some of you volunteer in the many activities
of our Northwest Ohio MultiFaith Council,
building peace among Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists,
and every other religious group in our community.
And we write letters and sign petitions
in support not only of Syrian refugees
but South American refugees
and refugees and immigrants from every country.
____________________________________
It's not just refugees.
Too many people here in Toledo live in despair
of ever finding anything but affliction, toil, and oppression.
We rank #1 in the nation
in the increased concentration of poor people.
One out of seven in our town live below the poverty level.
And poverty is much worse in other places around the globe
than it is here in Toledo.
Our homeless shelters are full again this winter,
but we have shelters
and we have generous donors like you.
You work for and with people in need here in Toledo.
You show your belief in Paul's observation
that there is no difference between Jew and Greek,
that all are one in Christ.
Just this month you sent financial support to 1Matters
to help the homeless,
St. Martin de Porres' Black History Month concert,
and the Seagate Food Bank.
That's on top of the load of in-kind donations
you pack into my car every weekend
for Monday delivery to Claver House and Rahab's Heart.
____________________________________
And then there's the environment.
Twenty percent of the world's population
uses up resources at a rate
that robs poor nations and future generations
of what they need to survive.
That kind of excess and waste and abuse of the environment
break the fifth commandment:
Thou shalt not kill!
But all of you, by putting your time, talent, and/or treasure
into our Tree Toledo project,
are keeping that fifth commandment.
____________________________________
So we say, on this First Sunday of Lent,
“My mother and my father were wandering Arameans.”
It's time to give thanks, like Moses says,
for the great gifts of God that we enjoy.
It's time to help others get to this same place
because, as Paul tells us,
we are all one, all equal, all without distinction before God.
It's time, as Luke's Gospel tells us, to look to our brother Jesus,
another wandering Aramean,
as he heads into the desert on a spiritual search.
It's time for us to walk with him into these quiet Lenten days,
searching and praying
to become even better
at following him on the Way.

--
Holy Spirit Catholic Community
Saturdays at 4:30 p.m.
Sundays at 5:30 p.m.
at 3925 West Central Avenue (Washington Church)

www.holyspirittoledo.org

Rev. Dr. Bev Bingle, Pastor
Mailing address: 3156 Doyle Street, Toledo, OH 43608-2006

News Links on Vatican/Pope Francis

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/oscar-favorite-spotlight-screens-at-the-vatican-213746566.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/sex-abuse-survivor-takes-leave-of-absence-from-vatican-panel/2016/02/06/c30d93dc-ccce-11e5-b9ab-26591104bb19_story.html

Peter Saunders from Britain takes leave of absence: "But he said the Vatican’s inaction in the face of continuing cases of children being raped and molested “made me lose faith in the process and lose faith in Pope Francis.”

His departure leaves Collins as the lone abuse survivor on the commission, which was formed in 2013 to advise the Vatican on protecting children, educating church personnel and parishioners about abuse, and keeping pedophiles out of the priesthood."

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2016-01/florence-li-much-beloved

http://www.euronews.com/newswires/3143123-pope-to-hold-historic-meeting-in-cuba-with-russian-orthodox-church-head-vatican/

http://www.timesunion.com/news/world/article/Pope-to-OK-use-of-indigenous-languages-for-Mass-6809967.php=
http://feminismandreligion.com/2016/02/06/the-goddess-mokosh-by-laura-shannon/#more-23131

Empathy and Compassion by Silvia Brandon- Perez ARCWP

https://silviantonia.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/empathy-and-compassion/

"Counting the Miles" by Shawn Cuddy/A Song About Returning to County Laois, Ireland

^This song is about County Laois, Ireland where I was born and lived until I was 8 years old!

Homily Starter for Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community: “Let’s Embrace our Blessedness!” by Jim Marsh, ARCWP and Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, 5th Sunday Ordinary Time, Feb. 6, 2016

Does God have a playbook?  What is our image of God, of the “Holy One?”  Is God the “grand puppeteer?” Do we believe the outcome of this game is predestined by God?  Does God take sides? 

Perhaps today, we Christians (we who follow the Way of Jesus) are given some ‘insights for our playbook’ from today’s readings.We hear two familiar stories about being called—the call of Isaiah and the call of fishermen: Simon Peter, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  Last week, we heard the story of the call of Jeremiah and what that meant…..  Lee and Kathryn relayed so well that Jeremiah reminds them about who they are, where they came from, and the power that is theirs.

Jesus doesn’t seem to offer them anything, doesn’t explain events to them, isn’t even concerned with their “faith” or what they believed …. He says “Do not be afraid … and they immediately left everything they knew, and followed him.”

As a church, we need not concern ourselves with doctrine and law, but imagine  ourselves to be a living, evolving, changing church.  For the last 35 years, we haven’t been allowed to ask questions … we have been told that all the answers can be found in Canon Law or the Catechism of the Catholic Church. And then Jorge Bergoglio (Papa Francesco) comes along …. oh, God of surprises!!!!

Pope Francis officially named this year to be the “Year of Mercy.”  He opened this year in a Muslim neighborhood in Africa, not at the Vatican that is thought to be the very center of Catholicism.  He seems to be constantly reminding us to refocus, to change direction, “to put out into the deep” if you will.  

Francis said: “We have to put mercy before judgment, and in every case God’s judgment will always be in the light of [his] mercy.  Let us abandon all fear and dread, for these do not befit men and women who are loved.  Instead, let us live the joy of encounter with the grace that transforms all.”

Bridget Mary Meehan;

Like Peter in the Gospel today, we are being called to follow Jesus as modern day disciples. Perhaps, the question, we should be asking ourselves is : what “fish” do we need to leave behind in order to follow Jesus in world that is 13.7 billion years old?

During our recent weeks of study and reflection on Elizabeth Johnson’s book, Abounding in  Kindness, we have been sharing our understanding of Jesus mission to bring good news that God is everyone’s God. Jesus came to show us how to live in the abundance of divine love, one with all beings in a dynamic, evolving universe.

We have discussed contemporary scholarship on the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.

In summary, here are a few insights. Jesus heals, liberates and restores to wholeness all those in need, especially the least and the last. He breaks rules and threatens the religious and civil authorities  who put him to death.

As I was preparing this homily I asked myself What is the “fish” inclusive faith communities can let go of that will lead to deeper faith and understanding of the Gospel and our call to live the Christ Presence in our unfolding cosmos today?

After our discussions, I think many of us are ready to let go of  medieval  atonement theology that focuses on Adam and Eve's sin and embrace a theology of  blessedness.

Atonement theology was the brain child of a medieval theologian, St. Anselm. He taught that an angry God demanded the death of a beloved son as repayment for the sin of Adam and Eve.  Adam ate the apple, blamed Eve and Christ came to suffer and die in order to clean the slate of original sin. 

Franciscan priest and spiritual writer, Richard Rohr describes an alternative to Atonement Theology  that came from the Franciscan School of Theology which focused on God's extravagant love and abundance. 

The Franciscan theological position was never condemned and was always held as an alternative by the institutional Catholic Church.  However, most Catholics were not exposed to Franciscan theology, but this worldview fits well today with the spiritual journey of contemporary mystics in an emerging universe.

In his commentary, Rohr explains  that  the Franciscan School of Theology emphasized God as Outpouring Love, and  our call is to live love each day.

In other words, we are created blessed and we are loved from the first moment of our existence as is all of creation.

So too, as we follow Christ in living love, compassion and working for justice in our world we, like Peter, will experience deep awe.  But realistically, there will be challenges and suffering too as I am sure you have experienced.  The cost of discipleship in an antagonistic world can be great. But, we can relax that we are blessed, but not perfect. The Spirit of God is loving, healing and making us whole as a work in progress.

 So the take home message is: God is love and as St. Teresa of Avila in the Interior Castle, said, "we are called not to think much but to love much and so to do whatever awakens you to love." 

When we go inward to the still point of our being, we grow in consciousness that the Christ Mystery at the heart of the cosmos is unfolding in every flower, in every living being and in you and  in me. 

 Like the mother dove sitting on the nest outside my window, each of us is a word of the living God! In our giftedness and brokenness, Divine Mystery is nurturing us.

So let us embrace our blessedness and follow Christ in a great spiritual adventure today! 

www.marymotherofjesus.org

www.arcwp.org