Homily: “Jesus Sets
Women Free to Live Gospel Equality”
by Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Today we rejoice because Rosemarie
Smead will be ordained as a Roman Catholic Woman Priest in the first ordination
of a woman priest in Louisville, Kentucky, in St. Andrew United Church of Christ.
We are gathering at a new moment of historical possibilities and challenges in
our church.
We
pray that Francis, the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope, who washed
the feet of young women and men in a juvenile detention center, will usher in a
new era of justice for all, especially for those on the margins including women
in our church. The news report that Pope Francis plans to appoint more women to
top positions in the Vatican is welcome, indeed! There is certainly a long list
of qualified women, including many nuns and women priests, who are ready to
serve in the renewal and reform of our church.
The
Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is a justice movement. we claim equal
rites to achieve equal rights in our church. We live prophetic obedience to the
spirit, who is calling women today to a renewed priestly ministry in a
community of equals. as a woman priest, Rosemarie is leading, not leaving the
catholic church into a new era of inclusivity, where all are invited to feast
at the banquet table of god’s boundless, abundant love. As the Irish writer, James
Joyce, reminded us, the word catholic means, “here comes everybody!”
In
Luke 13:10-13, Jesus encounters a woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath who,
for 18 years, has been crippled with a condition that causes her to be bent
over, incapable of standing up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over
and said, “woman, you are free of your
infirmity.” he laid his hands on her, and immediately, she stood up
straight and began thanking God.
When
the synagogue leader expressed outrage that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, Jesus
called the religious leaders hypocrites, and pointed out that this healing was
for a daughter of Abraham and Sarah, who had suffered for 18 years. So, there are several take home messages
here:
1) Jesus treated women as equals,
2) People have priority over rules and
regulations.
3) Sexism in church and society is sinful
and should always be challenged.
4) Our compassionate god lifts up all women
bent over by the burden of patriarchy.
The good news is that the Spirit of God continues to set us
free today to live gospel equality and partnership.
The
institutional church has tried to keep women bent over when it refuses to
recognize their call to the priesthood. No
longer will we tolerate the Vatican’s practice of sexism, which is rooted in
the misogynist attitude of church fathers like Tertullian who once said that
women are the “gateway to the devil” and Thomas Acquinas who defined woman as a
“defective male.”
Now,
in the 21st century, women are silent and invisible and subordinate
no more! If women priests were partners
in decision-making in our church, there would be some mighty big changes in
church teachings like birth control!
According
to a 2012 Newsweek interview with catholic
Melinda Gates, 100,000 women annually die in childbirth after unintended
pregnancies and six hundred thousand babies die in the first month of life. A
prolife church must value women’s health and well-being.
During
her long professional life, Rosemarie has worked tirelessly to model Jesus’
healing presence in the lives of women and girls, and to teach the value of
standing up for justice no matter what challenges they encountered.
Maryknoll
Roy Bourgeois, Franciscan Jerry Zawada, jesuit Bill Brennan, Redemptorist Tony Flannery,
the Irish Priests Association, and the Austrian Priests’ Initiative have
endured condemnation and punishment by the Vatican for their solidarity with
the women priests’ movement. but the
hierarchy of the Catholic Church cannot stop justice from rising up in the
people of God! In a recent poll in the U.S.
70% of Catholics support women’s ordination.
In
her own words, Rosemarie shared this inspiring testimony explaining why she
chose today’s reading for her ordination:
“this gospel reflects Jesus telling us to take heart from this woman,
ignored and persecuted by the religious leaders of her time. Be persistent,
courageous, and keep your mind open to the spirit of God, blowing the winds of
change in our church. Be part of the
movement forward in the eternal dance of love, toward the kin-dom of the unity
of us all.”
Our
women priests start a new inclusive catholic community in their home areas,
that honors the gifts of God in the people of God, bringing a renewal and reforming
presence to enliven our beloved church.
our women priests from Lexington, Janice Sevre-Duszynska and Donna Rougeux,
are assisting Rosemarie with this new church community started here in Louisville. it is called “Christ-Sophia Inclusive Catholic
Community.” You are all warmly welcome to
celebrate the sacraments as God’s embracing extravagant love for all in our
midst.
The bible uses feminine imagery to describe
God who is beyond all names and images. This is one of the church’s best-kept
secrets! The books of Wisdom and Proverbs
use feminine imagery to describe divine wisdom. the Greek word for wisdom is Sophia
and is always personified as a woman. Our first reading is from the book of
wisdom and refers to the holy one as she.
The New Testatment identifies Christ with the wisdom of god. “…to those who are called… Christ is the
power and the wisdom of God.” (1 cor. 1:24)
The connection in scripture is made between the crucified Jesus of Nazareth
and the Cosmic Risen Christ in Christ-Sophia.
In this liturgy today we integrate this powerful image of Christ Sophia
in our prayer and song. Thanks to our
music director, Kathleen Rosenberg, for the beautiful musical mass of Christ Sophia
which she composed.
And
now, i would like to share a brief overview of the Roman Catholic Women Priests
Movement. Roman Catholic Women Priests are ordained in apostolic succession
because a male bishop with apostolic succession and in communion with the pope
ordained our first bishops!
In
2002, 7 women were ordained on the Danube.
In 2006, 12 women were ordained in the first U.S. ordination in Pittsburgh. Now there are approximately 150 in our
movement in Europe, U.S. Canada, and Latin America. As part of an international
initiative of the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement, the Association of Roman
Catholic Women Priests claims equality as a human right. Our vision is justice for all, justice for
the poor, justice for women, and justice for women in the church including
ordination.
I
believe that on a deep spiritual, mystical level women priests are beginning a
healing process of centuries-old deep misogyny in which spiritual power was
invested exclusively in men. For some,
like the Catholic hierarchy, women priests are a spiritual uprising. For millions of people, the time has come for
a holy shakeup that will bring new life, creativity and justice to the church
and beyond. Let us pray that Pope Francis
will join this holy shakeup!
Amen,
Rosemarie, to rocking the boat of Peter and walking on water with Christ! i
guarantee that you are in for quite a spiritual adventure! Like the woman who
was healed in the gospel, we are set free to work for justice and to live
gospel equality and partnership now!
###
Bridget Mary Meehan, D.Min., a Sister for Christian
Community, was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on
july 31, 2006. She was ordained a bishop on April 19, 2009. Dr. Meehan is
currently dean of the Doctor of Ministry program for Global Ministries University,
and is the author of 20 books, including Living
Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God, the Healing Power of Prayer,
and Praying with Women of the Bible.
She presides at liturgies in Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
in Sarasota, Florida, and celebrates liturgies with groups in Northern Virginia. Dr. Meehan can be reached at sofiabmm@aol.com and www.arcwp.org
