Healing Our Broken World Through Ecospirituality: A Review of Unity and Harmony by Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

https://www.amazon.com/Unity-Harmony-Ecospirituality-Ecology-Justice/dp/1626986363

Victorino Pérez Prieto’s Unity and Harmony: Toward an Ecospirituality is a profound and timely contribution to contemporary theology and spirituality. Drawing from Christian mysticism, interreligious dialogue, ecology, philosophy, and science, Pérez Prieto invites readers into a deeper awareness of the sacred interconnectedness of all life. Rooted in the wisdom of Raimon Panikkar, Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, and the world’s spiritual traditions, this book offers not simply an ecological critique, but a transformative spiritual vision for our wounded world.

What makes this work especially compelling is its insistence that the ecological crisis is fundamentally a spiritual crisis. Pérez Prieto argues that humanity suffers from “superficiality”—a way of living disconnected from Reality, from one another, and from Earth itself. In response, he calls us toward a contemplative consciousness grounded in unity, harmony, and relationality. This is not abstract theology. It is a spirituality that challenges systems of domination, consumerism, and exploitation while opening pathways toward compassion, justice, and reverence for creation.

As a woman priest and bishop committed to Gospel equality and ecological justice, I found this book deeply resonant with the vision emerging in inclusive Catholic communities today. Pérez Prieto reminds us that all life exists within a sacred web of relationships. This insight mirrors the experience of many grassroots communities where Eucharist, shared leadership, and care for Earth are lived as interconnected expressions of Divine Presence.

The author’s dialogue with mysticism and nondual consciousness is especially beautiful. He moves beyond rigid theological categories and invites readers into a spirituality of communion—where God, humanity, and cosmos are understood in dynamic relationship. His work echoes the growing awareness among contemporary theologians such as Ilia Delio and Raimon Panikkar that the future of religion depends upon recovering our sense of belonging within the living universe.

Unity and Harmony is both intellectually rich and spiritually nourishing. It is a prophetic call to ecological conversion and to a new consciousness capable of healing divisions within humanity and between humanity and Earth. At a time marked by environmental destruction, polarization, and spiritual fragmentation, Pérez Prieto offers hope rooted in the wisdom that “everything is connected.”

I highly recommend this book to theologians, spiritual seekers, pastors, educators, and all who long for a more compassionate, sustainable, and interconnected world. Victorino Pérez Prieto has given us a luminous vision of ecospirituality that can help guide humanity toward a future of unity, justice, and harmony with all creation.

— Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan

Liturgy Celebrating Mary: Woman of Courage, Prophet of Justice by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

 

Welcome and Gathering


Presider 1:

A warm welcome to everyone!
We gather as a community of equals, to honor Mary—
woman of courage, prophet of justice, bearer of Divine Love. We are here to say “yes” with Mary.


Opening Song: Hail Mary: Gentle Woman – Carey Landry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUey6ytEXqY



Greeting:


Presider 2:
In the name of the Holy One—Source of Life, Love Incarnate,

and Spirit Wisdom—Amen.

All: Amen.




Rite of Transformation: Healing Prayer


Presider 1:


Mary sang of a world turned upside down—where the lowly are lifted, and the hungry are filled with good things.

Let us pause and reflect: Where have we resisted this vision? Where are we called to say “yes” again?

(Silent reflection)

All: Loving God, you call us, like Mary, to bear Christ into the world.

Heal our fears, transform our hearts, and renew our courage to live the Gospel boldly. Amen.




Gloria: Presider 2 and All:


Glory to God in the highest, and peace to all on earth!

We praise you, we bless you, we honor you—

Holy One, alive in Mary and in us.

You lift up the lowly, you fill the hungry with hope, you call us to justice and joy.

Glory to you, Source of Life, through Jesus, born of Mary, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen!



Presider 1: Opening Prayer:

Holy One, Source of Life and Love, you choose what is small and hidden

to reveal your presence in the world.

In Mary of Nazareth, you found a courageous heart—a woman who said “yes”
to your dream of justice and compassion.

Open our hearts today, that we, too, may say “yes” to your call—to lift up the lowly,t o feed the hungry, to welcome all as equals at your table of love.

Make us, like Mary, bearers of Christ in our world—
prophets of hope, builders of peace, and companions on the journey
toward a more just and loving Church.

We ask this through Jesus, born of Mary, and alive within us now, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

All: Amen.



Liturgy of the Word


Reader 1: First Reading: Micah 5:2–5

Thus says the Holy One:

You, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,

though you are small among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to shepherd my people Israel—

whose origin is from of old,

from ancient days.

Therefore God will give them up

until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth;

then the rest of the kindred shall return

to the people of Israel.

And this one shall stand and shepherd the people

in the strength of the Holy One,

in the majesty of the Name of God.

They shall live secure,

for now this one shall be great

to the ends of the earth—

and this one shall be our peace. These are the sacred words in the Book of the Prophet Micah and we respond: So be it.


Responsorial Song:

Holy Is Your Name (Magnificat) by John Michael Talbot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TEL_7TS5FE


Reader 2: Contemporary Reading on Mary, Woman of the Promise

(Feminist Theology Adaptation)

Reader:

Mary of Nazareth is not a passive figure in salvation history.
She is a woman of courage, agency, and prophetic voice.

In her Magnificat,
Mary proclaims a God who overturns injustice—
a God who casts down the mighty
and lifts up the lowly.

As feminist theologians remind us,
Mary’s song is not a gentle lullaby—
it is a revolutionary vision of God’s dream for the world.

Her voice rises from the margins,
declaring that the poor will be filled
and systems of oppression will not endure.

Mary is a woman who chooses.
She consents freely to God’s call—
not in submission to power,
but in partnership with the Holy One.

Her “yes” is an act of courage,
an act of resistance,
an act of co-creation with God.

As Elizabeth A. Johnson teaches,
we remember Mary as our sister—
a woman among women,
walking in faith within the Communion of Saints,
close to us in struggle and hope.

Mary is not distant or unreachable—
she is one of us.

A woman who trusted her voice.
A woman who spoke truth to power.
A woman who believed that God’s justice
could be born through her life.

Today, her promise lives on.

Whenever the lowly are lifted,
whenever women claim their voices,
whenever communities gather as equals—

Mary’s song is still being sung.

These are the sacred thoughts of feminist theologians and we respond by saying; So be it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APtNt5iG1oY&t=2s

Presider 2: Gospel: Luke 1:39–56 (The Magnificat- Adaptation by Bridget Mary)

My soul sings of a God

who dwells within and among us,

a God who births new life

in the hearts of those who dare to say “yes.”

For the Holy One raises up

those pushed to the margins,

and calls them into leadership,

into prophecy, into sacred service.

The Divine overturns systems of injustice,

breaks open structures of exclusion,

and creates a world

where all are equal in dignity and love.

In every generation,

the Spirit rises—

in women and men,

in all genders and identities—

calling us to live the Gospel boldly.

These are the sacred words in the Gospel of Luke and we respond by saying: So be it.



Homily: “From Bethlehem to Mary—God Chooses the Small and the Courageous” by Bridget Mary

Today, we are invited into two sacred songs of hope—

one from the prophet Micah, and one from Mary.

Micah speaks of Bethlehem—

a small, overlooked village—

and dares to proclaim that from this place

will come a leader, a shepherd, a bringer of peace.

Not from the centers of power.

Not from the halls of empire.

But from the margins.

And then, centuries later,

we meet a young woman from another small place—Nazareth.

Mary—poor, female, without status in her society—

and yet, she becomes the place where God is born.

Do you see the pattern?

God chooses the small.

God chooses the overlooked.

God chooses those the world often dismisses.

And Mary knows this.

That is why she sings the Magnificat—

not as a quiet lullaby,

but as a bold, revolutionary proclamation:

“The powerful are cast down…

the lowly are lifted up…

the hungry are filled with good things.”

Mary is not passive.

Mary is not silent.

Mary is a prophet.

She proclaims a God who overturns systems of domination

and calls forth a community rooted in justice and love.

And here is the heart of the Gospel for us today:

Mary’s “yes” is not just about giving birth to Jesus—

it is about saying yes to God’s dream for the world.

A dream where:

-no one is excluded

-no one is silenced

-no one is treated as less than equal

This is the same dream we live in our inclusive communities.

When we gather around the table as equals—

when all voices are honored—

when women answer the call to priestly ministry—

when LGBTQ+ persons are fully welcomed—

we are living the Magnificat.

We are becoming Bethlehem.

We are becoming Mary.

And Micah’s promise echoes again:

“From you… shall come forth…”

From YOU.

From this community.

From your courage.

From your willingness to say “yes.”

God is still being born in the world—

through us.

And perhaps the question today is not simply,

“What did Mary do?”

But:

Will we say yes as she did?

Will we trust that even in our smallness,

our voices, our communities, our ministries—

we are enough for God to work through?

Will we trust that even through the excommunicated ones- women priests- and all who have been rejected by the institutional Church.

Because the truth is:

The Church is not renewed by power—

it is renewed by people -in inclusive communities of love and justice like us- who dare to say yes.

And so today, with Mary, we proclaim:

Yes—to justice.

Yes—to equality.

Yes—to love without limits.

And together we become what Micah promised—

a people through whom Christ comes again

as peace for the world.

May we, like Mary,

become bearers of Divine Love—

and may our lives sing the Magnificat

in our time.

Amen.

For Community Reflection/Sharing:

Where do you see Mary’s “yes” alive today?

How are we being called to embody Christ in our world?

What does Mary’s prophetic voice say to our faith community, Church and world now?

Communal Statement of Faith

Reader 1 and All:

We believe in God,

the Holy Mystery beyond all names,

who is Mother and Father of us all.

We believe in Jesus,

born of Mary,

who revealed God’s inclusive love

and called us to justice and compassion.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

present in every person,

moving through communities of equals.

We believe that we, like Mary,

are called to bear Christ into the world—

through love, justice, and courageous hope.

Amen.



Prayers of the Community

Reader 2:

Response: Mary, our sister, pray with us.

For a Church renewed in equality and justice…


For women called to priestly ministry…


For those who are marginalized and silenced…


For all mothers and caregivers…


For peace in our world…
Eucharistic Prayer:


THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST




Preface:

Reader 1:

Holy One, Source of Life and Love,

it is right and just,

always and everywhere,

to give you thanks.

For you are a God

who chooses what is small and overlooked

to reveal your greatness.

From Bethlehem’s hidden streets

to Nazareth’s quiet home,

you bring forth new life

through the courage of those who say “yes.”

In Mary, woman of faith and fire,

you found a willing heart—

a prophet who sang of justice,

a mother who bore Divine Love into the world.

Through her song,

the proud are scattered,

the lowly are lifted,

the hungry are filled with good things.

Her Magnificat echoes through the ages,

calling us to become a people of compassion,

a community of equals,

a Church alive in your Spirit.

And so, with Mary and all the saints—

with prophets and visionaries,

with all who dare to dream your dream—

we join our voices in praise:

All: Holy, Holy, Holy by Karen Drucker

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

Presider 2:

Holy One,

You dwell within us and among us.

Through Mary’s courageous “yes,”

your Word became flesh

and lives among us still.

We remember Jesus,

born of Mary,

who lived love without limits…

(All extend hands in blessing for Epiclesis- Calling on the Spirit)




Presider 1 and All:




Send your Spirit upon us

and upon these gifts of bread and wine,

that they may become for us

the presence of Christ

in this sacred meal.


Prayer of Consecration

All:
On the night before he died,

Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and shared it, saying:

“Take and eat—this is my body.”




Presider 2:

He took the cup…

“Take and drink—this is my life poured out for you.”

Memorial Acclamation:

Presider and All: We remember. We celebrate. We are the Body of Christ.

Presider 2:

In this sacred moment, we remember Jesus—born of Mary,

who lived among us as compassion,who broke bread with outcasts,

and revealed your boundless love. As we share this holy meal,

we remember that we are not alone.

We are one with Mary, whose courageous “yes” brought Christ into the world.

We are one with Mary Magdalene, apostle to the apostles,

first witness of the Resurrection. We are one with all the holy women and men

who have gone before us—prophets and mystics, saints and seekers,

named and unnamed.




Prayer of Remembrance of Communion of Saints

Presider 2: We remember especially those we love who have died,

who now live forever in your embrace and remain present to us in love.

(Pause for silent remembrance or spoken names)

Together with them, we form one body—the Communion of Saints,

a great cloud of witnesses surrounding and supporting us.

In this bread and cup, we are united across time and space—

with those who came before us, with those beside us,

and with those yet to come.

May this remembrance strengthen us

to live as Mary did—bearing Christ into the world

through acts of justice, compassion, and love.



Doxology and Great Amen:

Reader 1 and All: Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all glory is yours, Holy One,

now and forever.

We are the Body of Christ.

We are the presence of Love.

We are the ones who say “Yes” with Mary.

Amen! Amen! Amen!


Communion Rite


Prayer of Jesus

Reader 2: All:

O Holy One, Father-Mother of all,

may your light be revealed in us.

May your kindom of unity come,

your desire be lived on earth as in heaven.

Give us each day the bread we need,

and free us from our failings

as we release others from theirs.

Guide us beyond illusion

and free us from all that binds us.

For yours is the power, the life, and the glory,

now and forever. Amen.

(Adaptation of Jesus Prayer in Aramaic translated by Neil Douglas Klotz)

Sign of Peace

Reader 1:

Micah promises us a shepherd who will be our peace.

Mary sings of a world made whole in justice and love.

Let us share a sign of that peace with one another.

All:

Peace be with you.



Breaking of the Bread

Reader 2 and All:

Loving God, you call us to be bread for one another.

In this breaking, we become the Body of Christ.

Loving God, you call us to be cup for one another.

In this sharing, we become the Blood of Christ.

Loving God, you call us to live as one.

In this meal, we become Christ for the world.

Invitation to Communion

Presider:

This is the table of a God who turns the world upside down—

where the lowly are lifted,

and all are welcomed without exception.

This is Jesus, born of Mary,

who calls us to be bearers of Divine Love.

All are invited to this sacred feast—

for all are the Body of Christ.

Communion Song Litany of Mary by David and Laura Ash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0dRoBgpcW4



Prayer After Communion

Presider 1

Holy One,

we have received you

in bread, in wine, in one another.

Like Mary,

may we carry Christ within us—

into places of longing,

into moments of injustice,

into a world waiting to be made new.

May our lives become a Magnificat—

lifting up the lowly,

feeding the hungry,

and proclaiming your love without limits.

We ask this in the name of Jesus,

born of Mary,

and alive within us now. Amen.




Gratitude, Introduction and Announcements

Blessing:

Presider 2:

May the Holy One

who chose what is small and hidden

bless you with courage.

May the Christ

whom Mary bore into the world

be born anew in you.

May the Spirit

who overshadowed Mary

empower you to say “yes”

to justice, to love, to transformation.

And may you go forth

as prophets of hope—

singing the Magnificat with your lives.

All:

Amen!

Sending Forth

Presider1:

Go in peace

to love and serve—

as Mary did.

All:

Thanks be to God!

Closing Song(s) Mary of the Promise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIY-pCdtnEs

The Prophetic Mission of Women Priests in the Catholic Church

 https://substack.com/@bridgetmarymeehan/note/p-196651697?r=2kfqor&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action

At its heart, the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is a prophetic movement. Like the prophets before us, we are called not merely to comfort the institutional Church, but to challenge it to embrace Gospel equality and gender justice through the full inclusion of women in ordained ministry within the Roman Catholic Church.

Prophets in every age carry both vision and burden. They see possibilities that others cannot yet imagine. They speak truths that unsettle systems built on exclusion and domination. And often, they do so without affirmation, without acceptance, and without certainty about the outcome.

This is the sacred path many women priests know well.

For more than two decades, Roman Catholic women priests have answered a call rooted in baptismal equality and the radical inclusivity of Jesus. We have stepped forward not because it was easy, popular, or institutionally approved, but because the Spirit continued to move within us with a fire that could not be extinguished.

Like Jeremiah, many women priests have experienced the challenges of prophecy.

As Rabbi Anna Maranta writes in :Voices of Fire: Prophets and Prophecy in the Hebrew Bible”, a course she presents in People’s Catholic Seminary:

“The prophet is often experienced not as a guide, but as a threat.”

This speaks deeply to our experience.

Women priests are often portrayed not as faithful disciples seeking renewal, but as dangers to institutional order. Our ministries are dismissed. Our sacraments are condemned. Our voices are silenced. Many have lost ministries, friendships, pensions, church positions, and family relationships because they chose fidelity to conscience and call.

Read complete article on Substack.

On TV in Spain today : Ordination of Bishop Christina Moreira ARCWP

 https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20260505/soy-mujer-quiero-ser-cura-vocacion-prohibida/17053409.shtml

This program aired today on the major station in Spain.

Mary: God Bearer-Theotokos- Magnificat

 

My soul sings of a God

who dwells within and among us,

a God who births new life
in the hearts of those who dare to say “yes.”

For the Holy One raises up
those pushed to the margins,
and calls them into leadership,
into prophecy, into sacred service.

The Divine overturns systems of injustice,
breaks open structures of exclusion,
and creates a world
where all are equal in dignity and love.

In every generation,
the Spirit rises—
in women and men,
in all genders and identities—
calling us to live the Gospel boldly.
Yes, Alleluia, Amen!

Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

ARCWP Prayer Gathering Celebrating Mary and the Divine Feminine

 

https://www.axiawomen.org/story/women-new-testament

Song: Litany of Mary by Laura & David Ash, Video by MTStreck

https://youtu.be/wqS8V7t-uPo

Sunday, April 5, 2026

ARCWP First Friday Prayer Gathering, May 1, 2026 - Celebrating Mary and the Feminine Face of the Divine

 

Holy Women of the New Testament Icon

Welcome and Theme: Welcome dear Sisters and Brothers to our monthly prayer gathering. Today is the first day of May, the month when we traditionally honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus.   In this month of May—a time of blossoming, renewal, and honoring Mary—we gather to celebrate the Divine Feminine: the nurturing, creative, and justice-seeking presence of God alive in all creation.

Our focus today is two-fold: honoring Mary and honoring each other as the feminine face of the Divine. Our opening prayer is The Divine Feminine Blessing, by Maribai Starr, a meditation that uses the breath to connect with our indwelling feminine presence. This breathing meditation creates deeper awareness of ourselves, while also evoking the intimacy and presence of the Spirit. 

Let us pray:

Opening Prayer: Divine Feminine Blessing | 3-Minute Meditation with Mirabai Starr

https://youtu.be/oJdO3w6d7S0?si=HVCaJaxwk25CpA5y

The Divine Feminine Blessing by Mirabai Starr 

Beloved One, Shekinah, Indwelling, Feminine Presence, Imminence, Embodiment, Mother-Heart, 

Please come flowing into every open window in our souls right now, as we call to you. 

Infuse every cell of our bodies with your fierce and tender Mother-wisdom. 

Give us the strength to speak truth to power in these fractured times. 

Give us the tenderness and humility to listen deeply to those that we are conditioned to otherize. 

And reminder us, again and again when we forget that we belong to each other, and we belong to you. 

Reflection on the Divine Feminine by Clare Julian Carbone

Was Jesus’ true purpose in coming to us to restore the Divine Feminine?

Shared thoughts

Excellent article on Women Theologians in World Christianity by Yenny Delgado

Women Theologians in World Christianity



https://publicatheology.org/2026/04/28/women-theologians-in-world-christianity/


As a female theologian who has studied in several countries and continents, I have always been interested in learning about and sharing the work of women doing theology. Over time, I have discovered a wide range of voices that are often overlooked but have a big impact on theological thinking around the world. ..

In Africa, women theologians focus on community, tradition, identity after colonialism, and real-life faith. They often use stories, oral traditions, and local experiences to talk about gender justice, poverty, and women’s roles in church leadership. African women’s theology is lively, rooted in context, and connected to daily life.

In Asia, women theologians look at theology through interreligious dialogue, cultural diversity, and social change. They often talk about issues like exclusion, migration, and how faith connects with politics and the economy. Asian women’s theology often highlights harmony, strength, and the search for meaning in diverse societies.

In Europe, women theologians question old theological traditions and offer new ideas. They address current issues like secularization, gender equality, and the future of the church. Their work often connects academic theology with public discussions about identity, ethics, and belief today.

In Abya Yala, women theologians share views shaped by liberation theology, indigenous beliefs, and feminist and womanist ideas. They challenge oppression and support dignity, community, and the value of life. Here, theology is closely tied to the fight for justice, decolonization, memory, and resistance.

In the United States, women theologians have helped shape feminist theology, womanist theology, and other approaches based on context. Their work shows how ethnicity, gender, sex, education, and religion connect, offering strong critiques and new ideas for a more inclusive and fair Christianity.

All these voices show that theology is not limited to one view or place. It is a lively, worldwide conversation shaped by women’s experiences and ideas from many backgrounds. Their work keeps changing World Christianity and invites us to listen, learn, and get more involved.

These articles invite you to discover, appreciate, and celebrate the important work of women theologians in shaping Christianity today and in the future.

Feel free to explore and share them!

 Women Doing Theology in Africa

 Women Doing Theology in Asia

 Women Doing Theology in Abya Yala

 Women Doing Theology in Europe

 Women Doing Theology in the United States


Yenny Delgado is a Peruvian theologian and psychologist. For more than a decade, she has engaged with faith communities, social movements, and local governments to advocate for decolonial education. She is a member of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy within the Presbyterian Church. Yenny serves on the Steering Committee of AAR’s Status of Women and Gender in the Professions Committee. She is the director of Publica Theology and the convener of Women Doing Theology in Abya Yala, an ecumenical, womanist, and intergenerational theological community. She is recognized as a leading and foundational voice of Abya Yala Theology.

The Eucharistic Prayer Belongs to the People of God by Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan

The Eucharistic Prayer Belongs to the People of Godhttps://open.substack.com/pub/bridgetmarymeehan/p/the-eucharistic-prayer-belongs-to?r=2kfqor&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

New Book on Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GY6JLNBB

The Gate” John 10:1-10 April 26, 2026 Rev. Annie Watson, Holy Family Catholic Church

 

 

In John 10, Jesus calls himself the shepherd, and we are his sheep—the ones who hear his voice and follow. It’s a tender, comforting image, one that pairs beautifully with the opening of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

But in the same passage, Jesus adds another layer: “I am the gate for the sheep.”
Not the gatekeeper.
Not the fence or the wall.
Not the watchdog.
And certainly not the thief who comes to steal.

Jesus is the gate—the point of entry. Through him, we step from one reality into another.

Whenever I read this, I’m reminded of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. My husband and I lived and served in the St. Louis area for about six and a half years before coming here four years ago. His church was in Ferguson, in North St. Louis County, while I served St. Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church downtown, just minutes from the Arch. We were practically in its shadow.

If you’ve never seen the Gateway Arch, it is truly something to behold. Rising 630 feet into the sky, it is the tallest arch in the world. Built sixty years ago, it stands as the “Gateway to the West,” a monument to the United States’ westward expansion.

For anyone driving through St. Louis, the Arch is a striking reminder of a moment in history when people stepped into a new reality, seeking abundance and opportunity. That journey required courage—because it was also filled with danger, disease, disaster, and death.

And we must also remember that westward expansion brought devastating consequences for Indigenous peoples. The Arch, for all its beauty, represents a threshold that was not good news for everyone. Still, it marks a historic crossing point, a symbolic welcome into the American West, and it gives St. Louis an unmistakable identity.

Jesus, too, is a gateway—but in a profoundly different way, with profoundly different results. He is not the threshold into the old American West, but into the newness of God’s reality. Through him, we receive an identity—not as citizens of a region, but as people who know his voice and enter through him.

He does not call us to bravery in the face of physical danger. Instead, he offers spiritual safety, abundant life, and a way of being that is good news for everyone. No one must be displaced so that others may enter. The gate of Jesus is open wide.

So as we step through this gate—from one reality into another—we are invited to ask:
Who is leading us?
What voices do we follow?
And what kind of “expansion” are we pursuing—territorial or spiritual?

Life with God is not found by heading in a certain direction on a map. It doesn’t require climbing walls, forcing our way in, or listening to voices that promise shortcuts. Life with God is found by entering through the Gate, Jesus Christ—through his way of love, truth, and self-giving.

The Gate is open.
Enter freely.
Find safety.
Find abundance.
Amen.

Celebration of Life: Rev. Wanda Russell ARCWP

https://youtu.be/d7HUpjCrCds

The stories this community shared about Wanda yesterday gave beautiful testimony to her spirit—her listening heart, her compassion, her joy, and her generous hospitality.

In this moment of grief and gratitude, we trust in Jesus’ promise—that Wanda has now heard those words fully:

“Come to me…”
not just as an invitation, but as a loving embrace into the fullness of life—reunited with her dear Mom and all her loved ones who were there to greet her as she crossed over.

Jesus speaks of a “yoke” that is easy—not because life is without struggle, but because love carries us through it.

And now, even our grief at the loss of Wanda’s earthly presence can open us to a new relationship with her—her eternal presence, her love with us always.

Wanda lived that kind of love and deep faith—
the kind that lightens the load for others,
that makes room,
that listens,
that shows up.

And that love does not end—
it becomes a blessing that goes on and on, forever.

And then we hear that beautiful promise:

“In God’s house there are many dwelling places… I go to prepare a place for you.”

A promise of home—wide enough for all, filled with belonging.
Today, we entrust Wanda into that spacious love of God,
where there is no more pain, no more worry—
only peace, only the fullness of life.

And perhaps the most comforting promise of all is this:

“I will come back and take you with me… so that where I am, you also may be.”

Love never ends.
Wanda is held in God’s embrace.

So as we remember her, we give thanks—
for her life, her love, her witness.

And we listen, even now, for the quiet invitation of Christ—
not only to Wanda, but to each of us:

Come… rest… trust…
Trust in the power of Love—
the Beloved’s unconditional and everlasting love for you.

And we echo together:
Love is our Light and our Salvation.

Today, we also hear the tender promise spoken through the prophet Isaiah and echoed in the letter to Timothy:

“I have called you by name, you are mine.
You are precious in my eyes, and I love you and give you honor…”

Today, we trust that Wanda hears these words now in their fullness—
named, claimed, loved, and welcomed home
in the heart of God.

Blessing:

Holy One,

Source of Life, Love, and Everlasting Compassion,

we gather in gratitude for Wanda—

a beloved woman priest,

a courageous witness to Gospel equality,

a companion on the journey of justice and love.

We bless her memory,

for she broke open the Word

with wisdom and tenderness.

She welcomed all to the table—

without condition, without exception

reflecting your boundless hospitality.

We remember how she

anointed the broken with hope,

stood with the marginalized in solidarity,

and lived as a sacrament of your inclusive love.

Now, Holy Mystery,

receive Wanda into your eternal embrace—

that vast communion where love never ends

and where all tears are transformed into joy.

May she rest in the deep peace of your presence,

and may she rise in glory

as part of the great cloud of witnesses

who continue to surround and guide us.

And as we remember her,

may her spirit live on in us—

in our courage to speak truth,

in our commitment to justice,

in our joyful proclamation of a Church renewed.

Wanda, faithful priest and beloved friend,

we bless you.

We thank you.

We release you into Love.

And together we say:

Gospel: 

Lector: A reading from the holy Gospel according to

Mathew and John. (Matthew 11: 28-30 and John 14: 1-3)

All: Glory to You, O God!

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will

give you rest. Take up my yoke upon you and learn from me, for

I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for

yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Don’t let

your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; In God’s house

there are many dwelling places; otherwise how could I have told

you that I was going to prepare a place for you and then I will

come back to take you with me, so that where I am, there you

may be as well.