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The Vatican synod agenda calls for transparency. But on women deacons, it's lacking, by Christopher White. National Catholic Reporter

 https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/vatican-synod-agenda-calls-transparency-women-deacons-its-lacking

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A woman holds a sign in support of women deacons as Pope Francis leads his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 6, 2019. (CNS/Paul Haring)

BY CHRISTOPHER WHITE

Vatican Correspondent

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Rome — July 31, 2024

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 One of the clarion calls included on the agenda for October's Synod of Bishops is for the church to consider how to build a greater culture of transparency and accountability. But when it comes to women deacons, a number of leading theologians, scholars and activists believe the Vatican's doctrinal office is failing to practice what the synod is trying to preach.

Earlier this year, Pope Francis established 10 study groups to examine some of the most contentious issues that surfaced at the first session of the synod on synodality in October 2023, including one to consider the question of women deacons.

The membership of the study groups had been kept secret for over three months, but at the conclusion of the July 9 press conference to present the agenda for the Oct. 2-27 synod assembly, when reporters could no longer ask questions, the Vatican published the names of the individuals participating in each group — with one critical exception.

Under "group five" — which has beentasked with considering "some theological and canonical matters regarding specific ministerial forms" and, in particular, "theological and pastoral research on the access of women to the diaconate," no individual members were listed.

Instead, a note explained that "the in-depth study of the issues at hand-particularly the question of the necessary participation of women in the life and leadership of the church has been entrusted to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the coordination of the Secretary for the Doctrinal Section, Msgr. Armando Matteo." 

Catherine Clifford, professor of theology at St. Paul University in Ottawa, speaks during a briefing about the assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican Oct. 26, 2023. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

The memo also announced a forthcoming document on the role of women in the church would be published. An official from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said that Matteo was unavailable to respond to NCR's request for comment.

According to Casey Stanton, co-director of Discerning Deacons, a project dedicated to engaging Catholics in conversations about the role of women and the diaconate, "the lack of transparency with this particular study group does not inspire trust or confidence in the institutional church’s commitment to be synodal."

"Synodality requires us to risk being vulnerable, to engage theologically in light of pastoral realities, and to hold difficult questions with openness," she told NCR.

Frustration over the lack of transparency on how the doctrinal office is handling the topic of women deacons is nothing new and dates back over two decades.

In 2002, the International Theological Commission concluded a study of the diaconate that considered the question of women deacons, which was followed by two different commissions Francis established in 2016 and 2020. The work of the two commissions has never been made public. 

Catholic scholar and author Phyllis Zagano is flanked by Dominican Sr. Donna Ciangio and Jesuit Fr. Bernard Pottier as she speaks with journalists prior to a Jan. 15, 2019, symposium on the history and future of women deacons in the Catholic Church. (CNS/Gregory A. Shemitz) 

"Three quinquennia of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have considered the question of restoring women to the ordained diaconate," said Phyllis Zagano, who was appointed by Francis to serve on the original 2016 Vatican commission to study women deacons and is one of the world's leading scholars on the female diaconate.

"One would hope that their findings would be considered along with whatever was presented on behalf of the two more recent commissions," she told NCR via email. "Despite the existence of ordination liturgies used for both male and female deacons, since the time of the Council of Trent there has never been any agreement on the history of ordained women."

"If, as has been reported, the two recent commissions presented an historical analysis, then their reports, like the 2002 statement of the International Theological Commission, would have been inconclusive," she continued.

During the first session of the synod on synodality, the question of women deacons surfaced throughout the monthlong assembly. A final synthesis report specifically called for the results of earlier papal and theological commissions to be presented at the 2024 synod.

While the study groups are expected to present preliminary findings this October, it remains unclear what the Vatican's doctrinal office plans to make public. 

'It's hard not to conclude that these commissions are placebos.'
—Tina Beattie 

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In an NCR interview earlier this year, Canadian theologian and synod delegate Catherine Clifford said she believed the creation of the study groups to study some of the synod's hot button issues means their work must be "open, transparent and accountable so that we have more insight into how these decisions are being made."

"I have a responsibility as a delegate to say, 'look all these secret studies have gone on and we don't know what the upshot has been,' " Clifford said at the time. "The way these issues have been dealt with over the last 50 years has undermined the confidence of the baptized faithful."

British theologian Tina Beattie expressed dismay at the fact that the work of the commission's has yet to be made public — and at the prospect that it may remain secret.

"It's hard not to conclude that both reports included evidence in favor of a female diaconate, but that the magisterium's mind is made up so this is just a window-dressing exercise," she told NCR. "I think it shows arrogance and contempt for those of us who have a genuine interest in these theological issues and debates."

"It's hard not to conclude that these commissions are placebos," Beattie added. 

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Compounding the frustration for Beattie and others are remarks Francis made in a May CBS interview where he explicitly voiced his opposition to women deacons, if it is linked to Holy Orders. At the time, the pope's words caught many by surprise as they came amid the ongoing work of the synod where the topic remained an open conversation.

During a July 16 lecture at John XXIII College in Perth, Australia, Jesuit Fr. Frank Brennan expressed "fatigue and frustration" following the pope's interview and the decision to relegate the question of women deacons to the Vatican's doctrinal office, rather than the full work of the synod assembly.

"I now more readily understand why so many women in the church are frustrated or angry or both," Brennan said. "The question about women deacons deserves an answer now."

Related: Has the synodal church stopped listening?

"Is not the October session of the Synod the appropriate time to think about it?" Brennan said. "And would not the October session be the appropriate time to release the findings of the two commissions held by the pope to consider the question of women deacons?" he asked.

"Is this not the bare minimum required for a transparent and inclusive, synodal church?" Brennan continued. "We need to demand better process from the top if we are to be a synodal church."

Stanton, who has spent the last four years hosting hundreds of synodal listening sessions with thousands of Catholics, said she still has high hopes for the synod but believes it will be "defeating" if the synod process addresses this topic in an "insular and closed" manner.

"I hope the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith can lean into this invitation to greater vulnerability, even as they stand as the authority on matters of church teaching," she said.

"Can they model for us the humble conversion towards becoming a more synodal church?" she asked. 

This story appears in the Synod on Synodalityfeature series. View the full series.

Rev. Angela Nevitt Meyer, of Roman Catholic Womenpriests ,Priesthood about a person's gifts, 'not their genitalia,' says woman priest

By Rhina Guidos, National Catholic Reporter 

 https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/priesthood-about-persons-gifts-not-their-genitalia-says-woman-priest

The U.S. representative of a women's ordination movement said she is encouraged by people praying that the Catholic Church will open the priesthood to all who feel called to the ministry — particularly women. 

"What I feel right now is excitement and solidarity because I feel like there is a lot of good energy and movement in the greater body of the church that really wants to see equality come in so many different ways," said Rev. Angela Nevitt Meyer of Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA. She is in Rome as the synod on synodality begins its final gathering Oct. 2-27 at the Vatican.

Rev. Angela Nevitt Meyer, of Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA, poses near St. Peter's Basilica Oct. 2. (NCR photo/Rhina Guidos) 

Meyer joined women from other countries Oct. 2, who gathered to pray near the Vatican so that synod participants would consider the importance of ordination to the priesthood and other roles for women, even as talk of women's diaconate was taken off the synod agenda. 

"It's not just standing here on the street corner, but there's so many people here in Rome right now that are on the periphery, guided by the spirit, to let these voices be known," she said. "And even if we don't have a space at the center, the Spirit's not given up, so I'm not giving up either."

Women, and some men, from Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, the U.S., England, Wales and South Africa are participating in events organized in Rome by Women's Ordination Worldwide movement as the synod, a four-year worldwide consultation process, is taking place at the Vatican, Meyer said. Many, including Meyer, were disappointed when Pope Francis  responded "no" to a journalist's question about whether he supported the diaconate for women. Some had been hopeful that opening the diaconate to women meant the church would one day be open to women priests. 

Related: Vatican doctrinal chief tells synod it's not time for women deacons

"When someone speaks their truth, I believe them," Meyer told National Catholic Reporter Oct. 2. "And I believe that there is no intention to truly and sincerely consider women's vocations [to the priesthood] at this point in time, because if there was any sincerity, our conversations would be open. They wouldn't be relegated to spaces inside."

"It's disappointing to hear reports leak about what could possibly take place in the future to appease those fighting for ordination of women and tease that perhaps it will happen decades from now. In the end, it has much to do with those in clerical positions who feel that their gender attaches them to their sense of purpose," Meyer said.

"It's not their genitalia," she said. "It is the personhood and the gifts that come within and how you're moved by the Spirit. Discernment needs to be about something so much deeper than your chromosomes."

Being moved by the Spirit is what Meyer said she experienced at age 10 as one of her diocese's first female altar servers in her Bartonville, Illinois, parish.

"I've loved Mass my whole life. I hung on the Liturgy of the Word. Participating in the Eucharist always felt deeply personal, deeply meaningful to me," she said, closing her eyes. 

'I believe that there is no intention to truly and sincerely consider women's vocations [to the priesthood] at this point in time.'
—Rev. Angela Nevitt Meyer

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For a while, she thought that meant following a vocation as a woman religious but it was different, she said, and she talked with her mother about it, "about what was possible for me." That's when, through discernment, she realized that her vocation instead was to "stand up for my gender in my church, because this isn't right, we are all equal" and she found a different way to follow her calling.

"I was working with the Sisters of St. Francis, and I started to have friends tell me, 'Angela, you would be such a good priest.' And I kept thinking, that's ridiculous. That's just ridiculous," she said. "My initial reaction was, 'Why would anybody say that?' Because in my head, my imagination was still stuck in this … well, a priest is a guy."

But that's not really what priesthood is, she added. "Priesthood isn't a gender. It is a vocation. It is how we provide care for one another and create a sense of pastoral safety and theological reflection and growth and community." 

Rosemary Ganley, left, and the Rev. Angela Nevitt Meyer hold letters as part of a group that spelled out "Ordain Women" near St. Peter's Basilica as the synod on synodality began Oct. 2 at the Vatican. (NCR photo/Rhina Guidos)

Meyer started talking to her spiritual director and learned about a woman ordained in Indianapolis.

"I learned about Roman Catholic women priests. And then I learned that there were several actually very close to me. So, I started in conversation with them," she said.

After spiritual direction and formation in the spirit of Vatican II, in 2019, she was ordained deacon at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Madison, Wisconsin, and was ordained a priest in 2021. Organizations such as Roman Catholic Womenpriests and the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests have helped her find community, even if they're on the periphery of the church, she said. 

'It's not their genitalia. It is the personhood and the gifts that come within and how you're moved by the Spirit. Discernment needs to be about something so much deeper than your chromosomes.'
—Rev. Angela Nevitt Meyer

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Officially, the church does not recognize the ordination of women to the diaconate, nor the priesthood. Roman Catholic Womenpriests acknowledges that on its website, which says, "Yes, we have challenged and broken the Church's Canon Law 1024, an unjust law that discriminates against women." They say they believe their ordinations are valid.

"There are those who will say we're not really Catholic," she told NCR. "But what we're doing is we're creating a space where people can come and be and participate in a way that they don't feel their morality compromised, and that they can receive and participate co-equally in community care, pastoral care and sacramental care." 

Related: As patience over women's ministries wanes, theologian urges dialogue

At one time, she said, it was "extremely hurtful" not to be recognized by a church she so loves.

"I carried a lot of hurt and a lot of pain because of that sense of rejection, of not being good enough, or not enough, not right enough, not whole enough," she said. "Right now, I don't personally feel pain, but I feel the pain and recognize the pain that so many other people carry like I did. And that deserves to be healed. Nobody should have to carry those feelings around."

What she feels the most these days is joy at being part of Brownsburg Inclusive Catholic Community in Indiana.

"I have the just tremendous blessing to preside as priest … it feels like something has been just deeply liberated within me. And for me, it's about connection," she said. "It's about facilitating spiritual wholeness and healing and co-support. I deeply believe in the part of Jesus' prayer, 'your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.' I feel like that 'on Earth' piece is often so discarded when so much of Jesus' ministry was about healing and being in relationship here and now. For me, the Gospel is so earthy and lived and relational and I feel like I get to do that in such an authentic way, to be supported by our community. And I love to preach. I love to preach!"

Late on Oct. 2, she sat by a column at St. Peter's Square, praying with others that the synod  taking place in the buildings nearby will respond to women who feel excluded by a church they love.

"I know myself as a Catholic and I know that I won't always be recognized as such by central authority figures," she said. "It's a complicated thing … but I also believe that evolution is always happening. And so long as we continue to show up, we can continue to have some influence."

Sharing a Meal with Marion and Mark at McDonald’s

 

With Mark and Marion today for breakfast. Mark will be celebrating 16 years on Dialysis next week and Marion is happy she was not injured when she fell early today.  Two years ago she was run over by a car in a parking lot and in intensive care and in rehabilitation for weeks but she is now recovered except for pain in her arm and walks to McDonald’s everyday!  They are both “miracle “ people.

New book shares stories of Roman Catholic womenpriests

 https://www.ncronline.org/culture/book-reviews/new-book-shares-stories-roman-catholic-womenpriests

Heidi Schumpf Book Review on womenpriests

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Patricia Fresen, right, greets Elsie Hainz McGrath during a ceremony at which Fresen ordained McGrath and another woman at the Central Reform Congregation Synagogue in St. Louis in this Nov. 11, 2007, file photo. Women Called to Catholic Priesthood shares stories of women who followed their call to priesthood through ordination. (CNS photo/Karen Elshout)

BY HEIDI SCHLUMPF

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September 28, 2024

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Back in 2001, when Pope John Paul II's moratorium on the discussion of women's ordination had most Catholic institutions cowering, I was working for U.S. Catholic magazine, a lay-led publication founded during the Second Vatican Council by the Claretian order of priests and brothers.

Rather than risk publishing articles arguing about church teaching, we editors instead decided to profile five women who felt called to priesthood and let them tell their stories. The women were young and old; African American, white and Latina, and they responded to their vocational calls in different ways. One was ordained in a Protestant denomination; one has since gone to God and I believe at least one has now left the church.

Their stories of sensing a call from God from a young age, of struggling with the pain and frustration of a church that prevents them from answering that call, and their decisions about what to do with that call were compelling. I'm so glad we provided the space for them to be told.

Women Called to Catholic Priesthood: From Ecclesial Challenge to Spiritual Renewal

Sharon Henderson Callahan and Jeanette Rodriguez

184 pages; Fortress Press

$32.00

None of their stories, however, included pursuing ordination through what's now known as Roman Catholic Womenpriests. That movement began a year after our article's publication, in 2002, when seven women from Germany, Austria and the United States were ordained on a boat on the Danube River (where there was no ecclesial jurisdiction) by a bishop the group claims had apostolic succession.

Now the church can hear the stories of women who have chosen to follow their call to the priesthood through ordination, thanks to a new book by Sharon Henderson Callahan and Jeanette Rodriguez, Women Called to Catholic Priesthood: From Ecclesial Challenge to Spiritual Renewal (Fortress Press, 2024). Callahan and Rodriguez are both affiliated with Seattle University, the former as professor emerita and the latter as a professor and director of the university's Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture.

Callahan and Rodriguez tell the stories of 42 women in the United States, Canada, Colombia, Europe and South Africa who chose to challenge Canon 1024 with ordinations that are considered illicit by the institutional church and carry the penalty of excommunication. The authors not only trace the womenpriests' vocation stories, but examine the spiritual practices and theological beliefs that undergird their decisions and sustain the women throughout their ministry and challenges from the institutional church.

Ida Raming, one of seven women ordained to the Catholic priesthood on the Danube River in 2002, speaks to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, in this July 22, 2005, file photo. Diane Watts, national president of Women for Life, Faith and Family, holds a protest sign in the background. Raming was excommunicated following her ordination. (CNS/Art Babych)

The authors describe the women's journeys collectively, drawing conclusions about them as a whole, but also quoting them individually. The women are identified by first name only, although the appendix includes a list with the full names of the women interviewed.

All felt stirrings of a call early in life and tried to respond within the confines of the church by pursuing other forms of service, including vowed religious life, parish lay ministry, social justice work, health care, chaplaincy or education. Half married and had children and grandchildren. Most waited until they retired from other professions to be ordained, since few are able to financially support themselves as priests. Not only is compensation minimal or nonexistent, but the women must finance their own education.

"Like St. Augustine, each admitted that their hearts were restless as they searched for the best way to answer the God that called them," the authors write. "Each grappled with closed doors, ostracization from friends, parishioners and family, and the threatened expulsion from the religion they practiced and loved. Like Jeremiah, each at times cried out in pain wondering how God could call them to ordained priesthood, when everything in their religion's rules rejected that call."

(Unsplash/Kelly Sikkema)

The book puts the women's experiences in the context of the Second Vatican Council, as well as the more recent rightward shift in the church. The authors also weave in and cite other scholars' applicable work. I found particularly insightful feminist scholars Alice Eagly and Linda Carli's three phases and barriers to women's vocations: the concrete wall, the glass ceiling and the labyrinth.

The concrete wall feels impenetrable, like the patriarchal structure of the church and the excommunications that now define their relationship to the church. The womenpriests see themselves breaking through the stained glass ceiling, much like their Protestant and Jewish counterparts. The labyrinth symbolizes the circuitous path women must take to positions of authority.

Related: A 'love letter of unanswered questions' about women's ordination

"We found this metaphor helpful in describing the twists and turns of each womanpriest's journey toward ordination," the authors write. "As we moved into the process of listening to their stories, we heard their pain and their joy: the obstacle that causes a turn and an opening they can move forward through."

For example, one woman, Jane, earned a doctorate in Scripture and was a tenure-track faculty member at a Catholic university. After signing a petition in The New York Times opposing church teaching on contraception, the local bishop blocked her tenure application. She went on to earn a law degree and became the prosecuting attorney for the city of San Diego. Throughout it all, she felt called to ordination.

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Some women described support from priests, even bishops, though often secretly. Some still attend Catholic parishes and even receive Communion there. But too often, representatives of the institutional church were hurtful. Some womenpriests were shunned not only by church leaders but by their former fellow parishioners. One priest, who had befriended two womenpriests who were a couple, asked the one who was dying to "repent of her priesthood" before giving last rites.

"The most common path for all women attempting to enter ground previously closed has been simply to do the work," the authors conclude. "As countless authors have noted, women have entered into most professions by showing up, working hard, and staying the course."

History will tell if these women are merely "ecclesial challenge" or a "spiritual renewal." But the church should be grateful that Callahan and Rodriguez have documented their historic stories. If anything, this book left me wanting more women's stories. Let's keep telling them.

"Catholics Meet to Chart Path Forward, but Women’s Roles Remain Unclear" By Elisabetta Povoledo Reporting from Vatican City Oct. 2, 2024,

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/02/world/europe/pope-women.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PE4.XkU4.N1j58DAhMPYQ&smid=em-share

The time to move forward is now. The Church needs the faith, gifts and service of women deacons, priests and bishops now in a new model of priestly ministry in Christ-centered communities of equals. The Synodal discussion on women's leadership role in the Church must affirm gender equality in ordained ministry in order to be a Church for everyone.  

The good news is that Catholic women are serving inclusive communities of faith as deacons, priests and bishops now widening the Church's tent. 

A first step I'd like to see happen is a "conversation in the spirit" with Pope Francis and the Synodal delegates to share our 22 years of experience in fostering an inclusive Roman Catholic Church.  We have made this request, but no response from the Vatican. 

Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests

"Pope Francis had the grandest of ambitions: to tackle some of the thorniest questions facing the Roman Catholic Church.

But when bishops and lay people convene Wednesday at the Vatican to talk about its future, one of the most contentious — whether women can be ordained as deacons — has already been taken off the agenda.

The decision, which came after four years of global consultations, has angered — but hasn’t discouraged — Catholics in some parts of the world.

“You can’t erase us, you can’t dismiss this,” said Miriam Duignan, a leader of Women’s Ordination Worldwide, one of several groups supporting female deacons that will be staging various events in Rome during the gathering. “You can’t deny the reality of what Catholics have asked for or dismiss a justice issue because some people objected to it.”...."

St. Therese of Lisieux , pray with us on our journey to gender equality in ordained ministries in the Roman Catholic Church

 Join Livestream of Women’s Ordination Conference at St. Praxedis Church in Rome today on TouTube @Ordain Wome@Ordain Women

University Rector of Catholic University of Leuven , Luc Sels, Addressed Pope Francis in Belgium: Asking "Would the church not be a warmer community if there was a prominent place for women, including in the priesthood?"

Source: Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, September 30, 2024

Pope Francis greeting Lynn Discenza, a trans Catholic woman who helps lead LGBTQ+ ministry at Hartford, Connecticut's St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church

A top Catholic in Belgium has appealed to Pope Francis for greater reform in the church, including for LGBTQ+ inclusion, on the occasion of a papal visit to the country. Earlier in the month, the pope greeted a group of four U.S. trans women at an audience in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Francis visited Luxembourg and Belgium over three days last week, during which he stopped at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) ahead of the 600th anniversary of its founding in 2025. While addressing the pope, the university's rector, Luc Sels, advocated for reforms sought by many Belgian Catholics. The National Catholic Reporter detailed:

"In his wide-ranging speech — which praised the pope for his support of refugees, efforts to combat climate change and his commitment to greater lay involvement in the life of the church — the rector lamented that the church 'too often provides "once and for all" universal answers.'

"'It is encouraging that you, the pope, have the courage to publicly question who you are to judge people with a different orientation,' said Sels, in reference to the pope's famous 2013 response of 'Who am I to judge?' when asked about gay priests.

"'Would the church not gain moral authority in our corner of the world were it to have a less forced approach to the topic of gender diversity and were it to show more openness towards the LGBTQIA+ community?' asked Sels, noting that he was pleased that both the Flemish bishops and Leuven theologians have expanded their outreach to gay Catholics."

Sels also appealed to Francis to ordain women and expanded their leadership in the church, asking: "Why do we tolerate this considerable gap between men and women in a church that is so often carried on the shoulders of women? . . . Would the church not be a warmer community if there was a prominent place for women, including in the priesthood?"

On clergy sexual abuse, which has embroiled the Belgian church in recent years, Sels added that "the impact of the sexual abuse cases and the way this misconduct was or was not openly discussed and condemned in the past takes away from the moral authority of the church in the western world."

According to NCR, the pope did not respond directly to Sels' remarks, though he encouraged theological exploration. Notably, on the Vatican's broadcast of the meeting, "the English language interpreter did not include a translation of the rector's comments on women in the priesthood."

NCR also reported that in mid-September Pope Francis once again welcomed transgender Catholics to his Wednesday audience.

This time, the pope greeted a group from the U.S. who introduced themselves as "four trans women who have always lived and worked in the Catholic Church" before Francis blessed them. The women—Martha Marvel, Maureen Rasmussen, Christine Zuba, and Lynn Discenza—were accompanied by an Italian priest, Fr. Andrea Conocchia, and a woman religious, Sr. Geneviève Jeanningros. Both of these pastoral ministers are known for their outreach to the trans community in Torvaianica, near Rome.

The pair of pastoral workers have brought groups of trans women to the Vatican before—for Covid vaccines, papal audiences, and a luncheon for World Day of the Poor attended by Pope Francis. Ahead of this month's audience, the four U.S. women met with their trans peers at Torvaianica, many of whom are involved in sex work, to pray together and offer a donation. The U.S. women are all involved with LGBTQ+ ministries back home, having first connected with Conocchia at the 2024 Outreach conference.

(Christine Zuba, second from left, with the other three U.S. trans women, Fr. Andrea Conocchia, center, and members of the Torvaianica parish community)

Ahead of the general audience, the women wrote to the pope about their life stories. NCR's article includes many of those details for the women, all of whom came out and transitioned later in life after deep involvement with the Catholic Church.

One of the women, Christine Zuba, wrote a longer essay about her experiencing meeting Francis for Outreach. Towards the end, she concludes:

"On the long flight home early the next morning, I experienced conflicting emotions. I was reading the new book [from New Ways Ministry], Cornerstones: Sacred Stories of LGBTQ+ Employees in Catholic Institutions, edited by Ish Ruiz and Mark Guevarra. The book includes painful stories about LGBTQ people who have been fired from their church jobs. This certainly saddened me.

"But I let my mind wander back to my encounter with Pope Francis, and I wondered if his request, 'Pray for me, pray for me,' held special resonance or had a particular meaning for us transgender Catholics that day.

"By traveling around the world, spreading the Gospel message of love to people of all faiths, Pope Francis is enacting change. Not everyone agrees with him, and even still, within our church, not everyone feels included. But the four of us felt included that day. While not everyone who feels excluded by the church will be able to experience the same kind of welcome, I hope that by sharing our story, others will know they are welcome."

--Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, September 30, 2024

Homily: What Difference Does it Make?” by Rev. Annie Watson ARCWP, Holy Family Catholic Church

 

Holy Family Catholic Church, Austin, Texas
Rev. Annie Watson ARCWP on left

Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

September 29, 2024

 

As this story from Mark’s gospel implies, there are many Christians out there who do not have the same “brand” as we do, but they are doing good works for the benefit of their communities and maybe even the world. 

There are also many non-Christians out there who do the good work Jesus wants us to do, which is a wonderful thing. We shouldn’t try to stop them. We should be supporting them, and if we ever get a chance to point out how “Christian” they seem to be acting, then we should take it.

In the meantime, we will never make the world a better place until we learn to get along with one another. We can’t even work together very well to solve our problems here, in our own country. One would think that people could muster up enough patriotism and love of country to actually love and support people in their own country. But sadly, that’s not the case.

When I watch the News on television, I get the impression that we don’t like each other very much. Politically, although we are a purple country, we tend to see only red and blue, to use our arbitrary color scheme. Ethnically, while most Americans are good at labeling people as white, black, brown, red, or yellow, (or “mixed race,” which is a meaningless term), we should only see insignificant variations of a brownish hue. 

We are all in this thing we call “life” together, and just because we have different philosophies about taxation or different preferences about how high or low we should wear our pants, the universe sees us as playing for the same team. 

So, why can’t people who are born on the same planet understand their connection to one another? Why can’t people who were raised under the same flag play in the same sandbox together without knocking over one another’s sandcastles? Yes, we have our differences, but why do these differences make a difference? 

To use a Texas phrase: There’s really not a “lick of difference”between us, which means that the differences we do have should not lead us to kill one another. Are Jews and Arabs really all that different? Are Russians and Ukrainians so alien to one another that they can’t share a border in peace? Are the folks who cross our Southern border so strange that we can’t agree on a fair, compassionate, and practical immigration policy?

I’m reminded of the words of the prophet Isaiah? “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.”

Obviously, there are real differences among us, but what difference does it make? Apparently, for some people, the differences are real.

Jesus saw this inflexible human trait firsthand and tried to put a stop to it. One day, one of his more aggressive disciples named John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demonsin your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” I have just one question: What is wrong with John?

You might remember the nickname Jesus gave John and his brother James: “Sons of Thunder.” They were known for their fiery zeal, boldness, and reactive tempers. They were not known for their sunny dispositions. 

They were fisherman, which was a dirty, thankless, difficult job, not for the faint of heart. Perhaps because Jesus rescued them temporarily from their grimy toil, they were extremely loyal to him, so much so that one time when people refused to welcome Jesus, they threatened to burn down an entire city.

John’s hard-nosed, inflexible loyalty to Jesus is on display with his knee-jerk reaction to someone he doesn’t know who is casting out demons in the name of Jesus. Jesus knows this could go sideways if he allows his disciples to continue seeing strangers as enemies, so he wisely says, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

Jesus wants us to see strangers as potential allies rather than as potential enemies. That should be our response to anyone who is out there doing “mighty deeds,” whether they are doing so in the name of Jesus or not. 

Personally, I don’t think Jesus much cares if people do good things without giving him the credit for it. I think Jesus is happy whenever people are exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, even if they don’t yet know why they are bearing good fruit. It makes no difference to him, and it shouldn’t make any difference to us. Amen. 

 

A Revolution of the Spirit- Join us in Prayer for Historic Ordination in Rome!

Roman Catholic Women Priests are creating diverse models of  inclusive ecclesial communities  that offer new life to the Church.  

We are  healing centuries -old misogyny by ordaining women and all genders for public ministry in inclusive communities of baptized equals where all are welcome to receive and celebrate sacraments.

Join us in praying for the Ordination in Rome on October 17th