"Missing Money, a Vicious Attack and Slowing Healing for Charity's Leader", Dr. Alexandra Dyer RCWP, New York Times Article

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/29/nyregion/missing-money-a-vicious-attack-and-slow-healing-for-charitys-leader.html?ribbon-ad-idx=3&rref=nyregion&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=N.Y.%20%2F%20Region&pgtype=article

Homily at Holy Spirit Catholic Community, Easter 6, May 1, 2016 by Beverly Bingle RCWP

That story about the debate over circumcision
that we hear in the Acts of the Apostles
was written sometime in the mid-90s,
and it's a different from the story
from what Paul wrote to the Galatians about 40 years earlier.
Fr. Raymond Brown says that decision
to allow non-Jews to become Christians without circumcision
guaranteed that Christianity
would eventually become separate from Judaism.
So, from the very beginning we were ecclesia semper reformanda
—a church always re-forming, always changing,
always searching for ways to tell the story of faith
to the next generation.
In the early 400s St. Augustine of Hippo wrote about it.
In the 1960s Fr. Hans Küng wrote about it.
Now, because of technology,
we get almost immediate reporting of the ongoing debate
about what we need to do to be Christian.
How do we think about the wisdom and the glory of God?
How do we spread the good news that Jesus taught,
that good news that the reign of God is at hand?
How do we express the inexpressible?
Just like they did, we use symbols and metaphors
and create meaningful narratives.
Just like they did,
we try to live what we believe.
___________________________________________
It's like today's passage from Revelation, for example,
with all those visionary twelves:
twelve angels at twelve gates
with twelve names inscribed on them,
and twelve courses of stone in the foundation,
with twelve names of apostles inscribed on them.
Those twelves meant more than twelve to the early Christians.
Twelve to them meant complete:
all the people of God, everyone,
all included in God's house,
all that is.
And Revelation tells us that the city doesn't have a temple
because all the people live in God.
They don't need sun and moon
because the presence of God—God's “glory”—
is in them and lights up the world.
___________________________________________
Another effort of early Christians to tell the good news in narratives
shows up in today's gospel,
a continuation from last week
of Jesus' “last will and testament,”
created by the evangelist.
The story is true, but it's not, as Marcus Borg would put it,
something that really happened.
And the message is not written for the disciples.
They're not around any more.
It's for future generations,
communicating in story
Jesus' important messages:
first, that the Spirit will be with them to help them remember
that Jesus lives not only with God but also with them;
and second, that love, and the peace that love brings,
are central to Jesus' legacy.
___________________________________________
How do we see the joy and the dedication,
the care and the compassion,
the love for one another,
that Jesus learned from his Jewish tradition,
and called on his followers to practice,
in the midst of foreign occupation, oppression, and hardship?
His own experience had to have taught it to him,
had to have brought him the peace
that comes from helping others.
___________________________________________
Brain scientists looking at mob mentality found
that people who can think about their own moral standards
are more likely to be able to resist
getting caught up in a vicious cycle of violence.
They also tell us that generosity, kindness, and caring
release oxytocin, the hormone that brings feelings of warmth,
euphoria, and connection to others
and causes them to give more generously
and to feel more empathy.
It's the exact opposite of the vicious cycle of violence:
people on an “oxytocin high” can jump-start a virtuous circle,
where one person’s generous behavior triggers another’s.
So one person does a good deed for another,
and it inspires people who see it
to behave with compassion later, toward different people.
Maybe you've seen those TV ads for Liberty Mutual,
where one person's small action helps someone
and is seen by a third,
who goes on to do a good deed for someone else.
That really happens.
Brain scientists have shown how altruism spreads
from person to person to person to person,
how one person's goodness
can influence dozens or even hundreds of people,
some of whom he or she does not know and has not met.
___________________________________________
It's been 2000 years since Jesus called us to love one another,
2000 years since he said God's reign is at hand,
that he said we would have peace.
Where is this peace in our world?
In Michigan, 16-year-old Hunter Gandee
found peace in the world last week
when he carried his disabled nine-year-old brother 110½ miles
to inspire people to embrace people with disabilities.
In Tennessee, Jacob Weiss and Joy Teal found peace—
and spread it, too—
when they asked the people they invited to their wedding
to skip the presents and donate instead
to a fund that gives micro-grants to local nonprofits.
In last Wednesday's talk on Luke's gospel,
Fr. Jim Bacik shared a story about UT students
coming back from their service project in Haiti
to tell about the happiness they had seen
among people who lived in garbage dumps—
people whose faith taught them to live
with love for one another.
In Toledo, Julie is a coupon queen,
but she doesn't keep her bargains for herself and her family.
On the first of every month she delivers peace to the world
in the form of hundreds of dollars worth
of food and household goods
to local efforts to help the needy among us.
Down at Claver House, a local firefighter
finds peace in the world every Tuesday
when he brings a package of cookies
to thank George for his service in the Navy.
___________________________________________
There was great joy in the early Christian community.
It brought them peace, and it was noticed, and it spread.
They went about doing good, like Jesus had shown them,
and they were remarkable for the way they loved one another.
Their world was at peace.
___________________________________________
We experience that same joy, that same peace,
in this community dedicated to the Holy Spirit,
in each of the ways we reach out as individuals
and as a community together in our social concerns ministry.
As theologian Elizabeth Johnson says,
it's the Holy Spirit,
nothing less than God's own loving self,
present and active in the world,
bringing new life to all peoples
and the whole of creation.
It's truly the Holy Spirit in us.

--
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

Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Liturgy," The Joy of Love", Imogene & Michael Rigdon Presiding Linda Lee Miska, Music Minister, April 23, 2016

Imogene and Michael Rigdon, Co-Presiders

Welcome!

Gathering Song: #304 Gather the People, 4 , 8

All: In the name of God our creator, and of Jesus our brother, and of the Holy Spirit our wisdom. Amen.

Presider: God is with you. All: And also with you.

Opening Prayer. All: Let us pray. O God, make our hearts places of peace and our minds harbors of tranquility. Sow in our souls true love for you and for one another. And root deeply within us friendship and unity, and concord with reverence. So may we give peace to each other sincerely and receive it beautifully. Amen

General Absolution by Community. All, with hand extended in prayer: O God of all mercy, through his life Jesus revealed that nothing can separate us from your love. May God give us pardon and peace, and may we forgive each other our failures to care for one another and for our earth, in the name of Abba God, and of our brother Jesus, and of Spirit Sophia. Amen

Two readings from James Carroll’s The New Morality of Pope Francis.

Gospel Acclamation: #931 Celtic Alleluia

A reading from the Gospel of John.

Response. All: Glory & praise to Jesus the Christ!

All (sing): Celtic Alleluia

The Joy of Love by Imogene Rigdon

Profession of Faith. All: We believe in God, the creator of all, whose divinity infuses life with the sacred. We believe in Jesus the Christ who leads us to the fullness of humanity. Through Christ we become new people, lifted to the fullness of life. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of God on earth, who keeps the Christ vision present and infuses energy into weary spirits. We believe in God who is life. Amen to courage, to hope, to the spirit of truth, to wholeness, to the partnership and equality of women and men in God’s plan. We believe in justice and peace for all. We surely believe in all this!

Community Petitions. Presider: Always mindful of God’s love and care for us, we bring the needs of the people to our loving God. Response: God of love, hear our prayer.

Presider: Energize us in our works for justice, equality, and peace. We pray this with Jesus our brother.

All: Amen

Collection and Procession of Gifts to the table.

All Sing: #361 Seed Scattered and Sown, 1&3

Eucharistic Prayer. We invite all to gather around the table for our community meal.

All Sing: We are holy holy holy (x3) We are whole. You are holy… I am holy… We are holy…

All: As we do in this place what you did in an upstairs room, send down your Spirit Sophia on us and on these gifts of bread and wine that they may become for us your body, healing, forgiving, and making us whole. And that we may become for you, your body, loving and caring in the world until your kindom comes. Amen.

We remember Jesus. All, with hand extended in blessing): On the night before he died, while at supper with his friends, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to them saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat. This is my body which will be broken for you.” (Pause) In the same way, Jesus took a cup of wine. He said the blessing, gave the cup to his friends and said, “Take this all of you and drink. This is the cup of my life-blood. Do this in memory of me.”

All: Remember, gracious God, your Church throughout the world. Make us open to receive all believers. In union with all people, may we strive to create a world where suffering is diminished, and where all people can live in health and wholeness.

Thru Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, all glory is yours, gracious God. Amen (sing)

Prayer of Jesus (Sing “Our Father and Mother”)

Group Sign of Peace: #532 Let there be peace on earth. Presider: Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Presider: This is Jesus who liberates, heals and transforms us and our world. All are invited to partake of this banquet of love. All:We are the Body of Christ.

All Sing: Holy gifts for holy people; come, you hungry, and believe. Come and take Christ’s body offered, come and be what you receive. (Repeat x2)

Communion: Instrumental music (Linda)

Prayer of Thanksgiving (Didache, Instruction, 100CE)

Men: For the thanksgiving, give thanks this way: First, for the cup: We thank you, Abba God, for the sacred vine of David your son, whose meaning you made clear to us through our brother Jesus, yours ever be the splendor.

Women: And for the bread fragment: We thank you, Abba God, for the life and wisdom whose meaning you made clear to us through Jesus, yours ever be the splendor.

All: As this fragment was scattered high on hills, but by gathering was united into one, so let your people from earth’s ends be united into your single reign, for yours are splendor and might through Jesus Christ down the ages.

Prayers of Thanksgiving. Introductions. Announcements.

All Sing hand extended in blessing: You are the face of God, I hold you in my heart, You are a part of me, You are the face of God. You are the face of God, I hold you in my heart, You are my family, You are the face of God.

Presider: Go in the peace of Christ, may our loving service to all continue! All: Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

Closing song: #440 Though the Mountains May Fall, 1&3 Anointing of those in need

Our Differences Are Blessings

" "It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences."

Audre Lorde

Visit Gratefulness.org

Pope Francis, Ireland and Option for the Poor and Marginalized

Pope Francis has regularly underlined how Christ’s vision privileged those who are materially disadvantaged, marginalised and excluded, and has called on Catholics to establish a more equitable world. The gap between rich and poor has continued to rise exponentially since the abrupt end to the Celtic Tiger and one wonders when the social documents of Vatican II might be reignited to combat the massive disparity between the haves and the have-nots. Gerard McCann quotes the words of Martin Luther King, which have a huge significance for today’s world: “We must rapidly begin to shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

People inspired by the spirit of Vatican II were to the forefront in the struggle for human rights in places like South and Central America, often (as in the case of Archbishop Romero in El Salvador) paying for their convictions with their lives. In Ireland, the Jesuit priest Peter McVerry and Sister Stanislaus Kennedy of Focus Ireland are two well-known and respected advocates for the homeless, while Brother Kevin Crowley runs the Capuchin Day Centre on Merchants Quay, where hundreds of people come daily to avail of the meals that are supplied there for those who have fallen on hard times. These three spiritual witnesses are in harmony with the spirit of Vatican II.

http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/review-ireland-and-vatican-ii-essays-theological-pastoral-and-educational-1.2627949

http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/report-pope-considering-global-peace-topic-next-synod-bishops

http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/sally-ann-sister-robin-visit-vatican-in-support-of-stem-cell-research/157591188

The Upper Room Community's Liturgical Celebration for Earth Day and Passover

The Upper Room Inclusive Catholic Community 

Albany, NY

http://www.inclusivecatholiccommunity-nycr.org

On Sunday, April 24, Kim Panaro and Jim Marsh, newly ordained priests, led our liturgical celebration at the Upper Room. The liturgy encompassed the themes of Earth Day and Passover. 

Along with the bread and wine, the friendship table was set with a number of foods eaten during the ritual Seder (Jesus, an observant Jew, would have celebrated the Seder yearly with his family and friends).

Beth, our Jewish companion on the journey, explained the meaning of each food item on the plate:

• Matzoh: Three unleavened matzohs are a reminder of the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt, leaving no time for dough to rise.

• Maror: bitter herbs, usually horseradish  or romaine lettuce, symbolize the bitterness of slavery.

• Charoses: a mixture of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon,are a reminder of the mortar used by the Jews in the construction of buildings as slaves.

• Beitzah: a roasted egg, is a symbol of life and the perpetuation of existence.

From our Eucharistic table we go into our week to live the Gospel.  On Tuesday, April 25, many members of the Upper Room Community gathered to serve lunch at the St. John’s St. Ann’s welcome table. 

Judy, Jim, Lynn and Marge

Chris, Dave and Mary Theresa

Deven, Maryann and Joan

Margaret and Mary Kay

Servers listening to instructions from Cookie before guests arrive!

Homily by Olga Lucia Alvarez Benjumea ARCWP in Colombia, South America

https://evangelizadorasdelosapostoles.wordpress.com/2016/04/24/cuantos-discipulos-eran-cuantos-apostoles-eran-juan-1331-34-35-olga-lucia-alvarez-benjumea-arcwp/

UNA HOMILÍA DIALOGADA

Todos los Viernes en la Fundación Bordado a Mano, nos reunimos con varias mujeres recién salidas de la cárcel, o con sus familiares, hacemos una breve oración y  nos preparamos para disponernos a escuchar el Evangelio del Domingo, en la celebración que hagamos en alguna de la Casa-Iglesia.

Viernes Abril 22/16 reflexionando con las pos-penadas el texto del Domingo Juan 13:31-33-35

Quien me quiere decir que es una homilía? Nadie, se atreve?A ver Consuelo, que se te ocurre? “No, le quería devolver la pregunta, porque yo no se”.

Entonces, preguntemos de otra manera. Saben que es un sermón? Margot responde: “Hay varios sermones, el que dice el Padre en la misa, y el que dice la mamá en la casa cuando regaña”. Liliana comenta: “El Padre también regaña, en la misa”.

Quien hace la “homilía” en la misa? Marta dice: “Ahora, voy entendiendo. A pues, el Padre”. Muy bien, Marta, has dado en el clavo.

Les gustan las “homilías” o esos sermones, que hemos escuchado? María Elena, no vacila en responder: “A mi no me gustan, porque él  Padre, el solo habla, se pregunta y se responde, él solito”.

Mercedes, quiere intervenir: “Es como si nos estuviera diciendo: “Yo hablo y ustedes, se callan y me escuchan”. Amparo, agrega: “Es que él tiene la Palabra de Dios y por  eso fue Padre y fue ordenado”.

No estas equivocada Amparo, eso es lo que nos enseñaron y hemos escuchado. Pero, aquí en confianza, qué tal nos parece esa norma, será correcta, será justa? Tiene que ser así? Ligia, dice: “Yo no creo. Eso tendría que ser más ameno, donde con entusiasmo se nos explicaran las cosas de la religión, pero no regañadas y ni tan con tanta revoltura, por lo alto que nadie entiende”. Muy bien, Ligia, creo que lo que has dicho es la definición más correcta. Muchas gracias.

Entonces? Creo que todos comentarios a modo de breve introducción, que hemos hecho nos van ayudar para hacer nuestra homilía. Les parece?

Amparo, nos ha leído el texto de Juan 13: 31-33-34-35. Qué nos ha llamado la atención de este texto? 

“Me llama la atención con el cariño con que Jesús trata y le habla a sus discípulos”interviene de nuevo Ligia. “Me gusta ese pedazo, en que dice que “cuando salió” refiriéndose a Judas. Jesús dice: que el Hijo el hombre y Dios ha sido glorificado”. Nos comenta Margarita. 

Que maravilla! Lo que han dicho! Este texto tiene mucha tela para cortar. Perdón, Sandra, que querías decir? “Tengo la curiosidad, cuántos discípulos estaban con Jesús?”.   En ese momento, según el evangelista San Juan, se suponen que eran los 12. Pero, se sospecha que habían más. No dudo que a Jesús le gustaba la sazón de las hermanas de Lázaro…(risas, con picardía femenina).

Saturia: “Tengo otra pregunta. Entonces es lo mismo “discípulos” que “apóstoles”? Buena pregunta Saturia. Quien nos puede aclarar esto? Qué dices, Margarita, ya que tienes la mano levantada. “A mi me enseñaron, en la escuela que discípulo, es el que está aprendiendo” Así es, Margarita, no hay nada que agregar. Jesús, en este pasaje les estaba enseñando a amarse los unos a los otros, y les dice “en eso conocerán que son mis discípulos, en el amor que se tengan unos a otros” Juan 13:35.

Cruz Elena, nuestra directora del grupo, pregunta: “Entonces, quienes eran los apóstoles, y cuántos eran?”  Uy! Cruz Elena, qué pregunta! Cómo les parece,  no eran solo 12, habian muchos más. No lo digo, yo. Lo pueden leer en Lucas 10:1.9. De todas maneras la palabra “Apóstol” les cuento, significa ser enviado. Si mal no recordamos, a María de Magdala, Jesús la envió, a ella, a llevar el mensaje de su Resurrección a sus discipulos y apostoles. Mensaje muy importante, que si no fuera por ello:Vana seria nuestra fe.

Beatriz que está allá, atrás, que nos quieres compartir o decir? “Por qué solo se habla de hombres? y no aparecen a las mujeres ya que allí no se mencionan?”   Gracias, Beatriz por tu pregunta.

Se pueden considerar dos motivos y convertirlos en pregunta: 1) quién escribió la Biblia?, y  2) quién hizo más tarde la traducción de esos textos que estaban en griego, arameo y hebreo, para que llegaran hasta nosotros en el español? A mi comentario Liliana dice: “O sea que esos textos, han sido traducidos y vueltos a traducir y muy fácilmente manipulados, o cambiados? Mejor dicho, la Palabra de Dios, nos ha llegado, pero,bien reciclada”.

Gracias, Liliana. Por hoy dejamos acá, y vamos a seguir estudiando y reflexionando los textos de cada Domingo. 

Agradezcamos a la Divinidad su Presencia en medio de nosotros/as en nuestra nueva sede, de manera especial hoy Día de la Madre Tierra, y nos disponemos a recibir la Ayuda Alimentaria,  así como dice Cruz Elena, esto solo, no es solución a nuestros problemas, pero si es una puerta que nos abre a la Solidaridad, Apoyo y Amor mutuo entre todas/os.

Nos veremos para la celebración en la Casa-Iglesia de Consuelo y el próximo Viernes nuevamente aqui.

*Presbitera católica romana.

Pope Francis: On Clericalism and the Holy Faithful People of God//National Catholic Reporter

"It is good for us to remember that the Church is not an elite of priests, of consecrated people, of bishops -- but that everyone forms the Holy Faithful People of God," states Francis.

The pontiff then says that he cannot reflect on the role of laypeople in the church "ignoring one of the greatest deformations that Latin America must confront, and to which I ask you to give special attention: clericalism."

"This attitude not only cancels out the personality of Christians, but tends to diminish and undervalue the baptismal grace that the Holy Spirit has placed in the heart of our people," states Francis.

"Clericalism brings about a homogenization of the layperson, treating as 'mandatory' limits to his or her diverse initiatives and efforts, and I would dare to say, the audacity necessary to bring the Good News of the Gospel to all places of social and overall political activity," he continues.

"Clericalism, far from giving impulse to diverse contributions and proposals, turns off, little by little, the prophetic fire from which the entire Church is called to give testimony in the heart of its peoples," says Francis. "Clericalism forgets that the visibility and the sacramentality of the Church belongs to all the people of God and not only an elect or illuminated few."

Francis: Spirit works in laypeople, 'is not property of the hierarchy'

Joshua J. McElwee  |  Apr. 26, 2016

http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-spirit-works-laypeople-not-property-hierarchy

Homily by Ann Harrington ARCWP for Liturgy "Celebrating the Cosmic Christ" at Free Spirit Inclusive Catholic Community in North Carolina 4/24/16

Ann Harrington, ARCWP pressiding at Liturgy Celebrating the Cosmic Christ
Photos by Mark Harrington

Opening song:  O Magnum Mysterium  https://youtu.be/nn5ken3RJBo

Psalm:  Everyday God  https://youtu.be/2_3MSBJIq5o

Communion Hymn:  We Are the Body of Christ  https://youtu.be/9Vj_VYbbn_c  Stop at 2:48

Recessional:  The rest of "We Are the Body of Christ

What follows are some ideas from Richard Rohr and Ilia Delio, both Franciscans, both I believe, are Prophets and Wisdom teachers.  I will post the links I used on our fb page if you are interested in furthering your understanding of the Cosmic Christ..

The Big Bang occurred over 13 billion years ago.  As God revealed God self in the material evolution of life, the Christ was present.  And this revelation has been ongoing since the beginning. On the first day, God says, "Let there be light".  The Cosmic Christ is the light that fills all things since the beginning of time and invites us into this realm of reality.  God is love--the love that loves to love.  God created the world because God longs to share that love with one who could respond to God in grace and glory.  I learned in Bev Bingle's homily this week that glory means "manifestation of God's presence". A favorite quote of mine is from the second century St. Irenaeus.  He said, "The glory of God is a person fully alive".  Jesus is this man fully alive.  Ilia says he was like a Big Bang, for in Jesus, God consciousness breaks forth.  Jesus had an immediate awareness of God in his life that breaks through the Jewish tradition.  His mission was to take what is fragmented in life make it whole whether it means challenging the Jewish Law or turning over the tables in the Temple.  Whatever is opposed to more unity and love must be challenged.  Jesus ushers in a New Integral Wholeness.  So, Jesus can be called a Whole Maker, a healer.  We his followers share in this mission.

The early church recognized that Jesus was the "Christ".  But this understanding was lost.    Our religion is carrying a lot of baggage.  Our God concept is for many, of medieval origin.  A God out there somewhere.  The legacy of the Greek philosophers is with us still.  Platonic spirituality gives us the idea that God is up there and we are here and our whole path is to leave here and go there. This thinking leads us to see earth as a mere way station on the journey to some other heavenly realm and explains the current ecological condition we find ourselves in. Our call is to embrace this wise home that has been given to us, to become conscious that beauty is all round us and life never stops bursting forth.                                                                                                                     

      

In the 14th century with the invention of telescopes people saw something very different from what  they had believed.  The earth was not the center of the universe but just one planet that revolved around the sun.  The church decided not to deal with this. For what then does Scripture mean?  What is our purpose in creation if humans are not the be all and end of creation?  How can we come to any certainty about God amidst all these changes?  Seventeenth century French philosopher, Rene Descartes decides to take God out of the cosmos and put God in a self thinking person.  This leads the church to respond with a heavy emphasis on doctrine and law.  God becomes judge, the one who is "over us".  Once you separate God from the cosmos you don't have God, you have a thought.

 Teilhard de Chardin was a Jesuit paleontologist who spent many years beginning in the 1920's in China looking for the story of how humans emerged and continue to emerge.  He put evolution and the Christ story together.  He said evolution is not a theory, it is the way nature works, it is a process of unfolding life.  There seems to be a fundamental law of attraction going on.  Things come together and form a new entity.  A new complexity forms something else new.  It is because of what was there that something new comes, emerges.  de Chardin calls this fundamental attraction, love.  Love is the physical structure of the universe.  This dynamic universe of energy of love, unites, attracts and gives rise to more being, over and over again.  The whole structure of the universe is oriented toward more life, more being, more consciousness.  The story is still being written.  Evolution continues through us.  We are the arrows of evolution.  Our choices and decisions are fundamental to how this universe will continue to evolve.  Everything we think, say or do matters.

  It may help to come to some understanding of the immense process that we are part of.   The first stars emerge 400 million years after the Big Bang.  If Evolution is a 30 volume encyclopedia, humans show up in the last volume, on the last page, the last 2 words of the last line.  We are new to the universe, We have been given a crucial role in evolution.  For if Christ is as, T. says, the organic unfolding of divine life that has come to consciousness in the human person, what does that make us but evolving Christ's?

In the life of Jesus we see what the Big Bang is about, love poured out for the sake of more life.  Evolution is cruciform, suffering and death all along the way.  Resurrection is a new energy field, this is why the early Church was so dynamic.  They were experiencing something new, New Life, life that will never end.  Life that empowered them to give their lives for the sake of the Gospel.

We  often miss the Risen Christ.  We are so driven by self-preservation.  We are  so distracted by noise and busyness and clutter that we cannot find that "still center" within, the place of Integral Wholeness where Jesus lived and moved and had his being.  It is when we come to know the whole within, when we meet the Christ within, when we get in touch with what Merton says is "the pure glory of God in us", when we find ourselves embraced in love, then we can move outward and become whole makers, reconcilers, people of mercy and compassion. 

Ilia defines a Christian as one who is connected through to the heart and to the whole of life, attuned to the deeper intelligence of nature and called forth irresistibly by the Spirit to creatively express one's gifts in the evolution of self and world.  As we open to change, to grow, to unite, so too will the world around us, because we are part and parcel of a larger whole.

Questions for reflection: I think it important to claim our goodness.  All of us are involved in whole making in some way.  I invite you to share what you do to bring wholeness to yourself and the larger world.

 What gives you energy? What gift/s is the Spirit calling you to creatively express?  You might be having a niggle of awareness that this thing is calling you.

If we stopped using the word Catholic and said "wholemakers", Free Spirit Inclusive Whole maker's Community, how might that change how we think about ourselves and what we are doing?

Readings for 4/24/16

First Reading:  Hymn of the Universe by Teilhard de Chardin

...far from light emerging gradually out of the womb of our darkness, it is the Light, existing before all else was made which, patiently, surely eliminates our darkness.  As for us creatures, of ourselves we are but emptiness and obscurity.  But you, my God, are the inmost depths, the stability of that eternal milieu, without duration or space, in which our cosmos emerges gradually into being and grows gradually to its final completeness, as it loses those boundaries which to our eyes seem so immense.  Everything is being;  everywhere there is being and nothing but being.

Psalm:  Everyday God by Bernadette Farrell  https://youtu.be/2_3MSBJIq5o

Second Reading:  Colossians 1 15-16  Inclusive New Testament

Christ is the image of the unseen God

   and the firstborn of all creation,

for in Christ were created

    all things in heaven and on earth:

everything visible and invisible,

    Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers-

     all things were created through Christ and for Christ.

Gospel:  John 1: 1-5  Inclusive New Testament

In the beginning

there was the Word,

the Word was in God's presence

and the Word was God.

The Word was present to God

 from the beginning.

Through the Word

all things came into being,

and apart from the Word

nothing came into being

that has come into being.

In the Word was life,

and that life was humanity's light-

a Light that shines in the darkness,

a Light that the darkness has never overtaken.

ARCWP PHOTO ALBUMS OF ORDINATIONS AND LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS

Click here to view ARCWP ordinations and liturgical celebrations.

Homily for Ordination of Kim Turcotte ARCWP as a Deacon by Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan on April 23, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire

We rejoice today as we ordain Kim Turcotte a deacon with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.

In her own words, Kim shares what her ordination will mean:

“…I will have the privilege to walk with our local faith community to pray together, discuss relevant issues in our open homilies just as Jesus taught in the early church.  In our homes or out in a park, at the coffee shop or in a church, we are able to reach people wherever they are and on their own terms. All are welcome at the table. Being a mother of a child with disabilities and myself being one of those excluded from the church I understand and am called to serve those who are forced to be at the margins.”

The Gospel of John portrays a close relationship between Mary of Magdala and Jesus. When the other disciples come and go, Mary stays nearby, weeping, searching for clues of Jesus whereabouts. Her grief is soul-wrenching. She has listened to his teaching and experienced his compassionate love.  This type of deep friendship suggests a break with the social conventions of the time. Jesus treats Mary of Magdala as an equal among the male disciples. In an age where a woman’s word was suspect, the Risen Christ calls her to be the apostle to the apostles to proclaim the good news of the Resurrection, the central belief of Christianity. 

In Romans 16, St. Paul praises Junia and Andronicus, as “outstanding apostles” who were in Christ before he was. Since Paul, Junia and Andronicus were apostles, there were more than 12 apostles and Junia was a woman apostle.  The “twelve” was a symbolic number referring to the twelve tribes of Israel.

 In an ancient Coptic Christian Scripture, “Pistis Sophia”, written in the Second Century, Jesus chooses Mary of Magdala and John to “be on my right and on my left.” Mary’s prominence is reflected throughout the document. She asks 39 out of 46 questions and participates in providing interpretation of this document. Peter expresses resentment toward her throughout the work: “My Lord we shall not be able to endure this woman, for she takes our opportunity and she has not let any of us speak and takes all the time herself.” Mary objects to Peter’s efforts to intimidate her and charges that “he hates the female race.”  I ask you: two thousand years later, what has changed?

In the Gospel of Mary, written early in the Second Century, Jesus warns the disciples against following a “set of rules and laws not given by him.” Mary tells the disciples to proclaim the Gospel without fear. She assures them of the Savior’s presence. In the second part, she shares a vision she has received. Andrew and Peter react with scorn to her revelations but Levi defends her: “Peter , thou has ever been of hasty temper. Now I see that thou dost exercise thyself against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Savior has made her worthy, who then art thou to reject her?”

Jesus’ encounters with Mary of Magdala and the women in the Gospels indicates that he treated women as equally beloved, equally chosen and equally holy. Elizabeth Johnson writes, “He (Jesus) brings salvation through his life and Spirit restoring women to full personal dignity in the reign of God and inspiring their liberation from structures of domination and subordination.  (Elizabeth Johnson, Consider Jesus: Waves of Renewal in Christology, New York: Crossroad, 1990, p. 112. )

In addition, a Pope and early church father also affirmed women as apostles.

Pope Hippolytus who lived from 170 to 236 AD, addressed the role of women in early Christianity: “Lest the female apostles doubt the angels, Christ himself came to them so that the women would be apostles of Christ… Christ showed himself to the male apostles and said to them…’It is I who appeared to the women and I who wanted to send them to you as apostles.’” (Brock, Ann Graham, Mary Magdalene, the First Apostle The Struggle for Authority, 2003 (quotes Hippolytus (DeCantico 24-26, CSCO 264) pp. 43-49)

 Gregory of Antioch (d. 593) portrays Jesus as appearing to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary at the tomb and saying to them: “Be the first teachers to the teachers. So that Peter who denied me learns that I can also choose women as apostles.”   (Brock, p. 15)

So let’s be clear, women were apostles- according to the Risen Christ, St. Paul, Church Fathers and a pope. Therefore, the church should follow the example of Jesus and treat women as equals in every area of our church’s life today including decision making and ordination!

Scholars, like Gary Macy, in The Hidden History of Women's Ordination, present scholarly evidence of women in Holy Orders during the first twelve hundred years of the church's history.  Women and men were ordained to a specific service role within the community. One could say that the fact that women were ordained in our church tradition is the church's best kept secret, but NO MORE!!

In obedience to the Gospel of Jesus women priests are disobeying an unjust law that discriminates against women. Canon 1024 states that only a baptized male may receive Holy Orders. This is in contradiction to Canon 849 which states that Baptism is the gateway to the sacraments which includes Holy Orders. Baptism is the foundation for the validity of Holy Orders not male gender. In other words, the sacrament of Baptism makes us all- equals in Christ.

St. Paul taught, "As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there no longer servant or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).

For 1200 years some popes, bishops and scholars accepted women's ordination as equal to men's. In the 10th century Bishop Atto of Vercelli wrote about the early church practice of ordaining women to preside over the churches because of the great need. In 1976 The Pontifical Biblical Commission concluded that there is no biblical reason to prohibit women's ordination. 

Pope John Paul II contradicted the early tradition of women in priestly ministry when he wrote: "The church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and ...this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."



However, Pope John Paul II did not consult the people of God (including the theologians and the bishops) before issuing this decree.



The church teaches that infallible teaching must reflect the sense of the faithful. Therefore, this teaching is not infallible because it does not reflect the sensus fidelium, the faith of the believing community. In fact, according to recent surveys about 70 percent of Catholics and 80 percent of Catholic theologians support women's ordination, including some of the world's bishops. The church cannot continue to discriminate against women and blame God for it.

Women and men are created in God's image and both may represent Christ as priests. Women as priests remind us that women are equal symbols of the holy and that the identity of priests should reflect the experiences and spiritual authority of women.

From the first ordination on the Danube of seven women, our international Roman Catholic Women Priests’ Movement has grown to over 220 in 13 countries, 31 states in the U.S. serving 81 communities. The Spirit is moving and we are growing. Who says there is a vocation shortage?!

My sisters and brothers, like Mary of Magdala, the Risen Christ is calling us to be apostles today. As we live Gospel equality and partnership in inclusive, vibrant faith communities, our church is being reformed and renewed! We don’t have to wait for the Vatican to act. Mary of Magdala did not wait for Peter’s approval. The good news is: justice, like a river is rising up in the Catholic Church today in New Hampshire as we ordain Kim Turcotte a deacon!