Saturday, June 9, 2012
Homily: “A New Spiritual Uprising in the Catholic Church” By Bridget Mary Meehan, Ordination of Donna Rougeux in Lexington, Ky., June 9, 2012
At the Vatican we
see the “Monsignors Mutiny”a tale of betrayal, corruption and power struggles
that has the potential of becoming a blockbuster movie that could rival the Da
Vinci Code.
One
Italian paper even suggested that an unnamed laywoman had secretly ordered the
butler to leak the secret documents which is referred to as the Vati-leaks. But
the Vatican, of course, denies it all...” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/30/the-pope-s-butler-silenced-in-vatileaks-investigation.html
In May 2012,
hundreds of Irish priests called for an end to mandatory celibacy and for
women’s ordination in an unprecedented challenge to the Vatican. http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=31216
Like the woman in
Luke’s Gospel whom Jesus declared free after being bent over for eighteen years,
the Spirit is a movin’ in the courageous nuns. In response to the Vatican’s
rebuke of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious for their support of
women’s ordination, homosexuality and contraception, the Sisters are planning a
bus trip to nine states to showcase their ministry to the poor and
disenfranchised.
Thousands of
Catholics have attended prayer vigils and signed petitions in solidarity with
the Sisters in the Nun Justice Project. One day, I hope we will have nun
priests! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/us/us-nuns-bus-tour-to-spotlight-social-issues.html?_r=2&emc=eta1
The Spirit is a
movin’ in the women priests movement as we live Gospel equality now and ordain
women like Donna Rougeux.
In Luke 13:10-13,
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 is sinful
and should always be challenged. 4) Our Compassionate God lifts up all who are
bent over by the burden of patriarchy.
The good news is that the Spirit of God is renewing the church in a spiritual uprising in vibrant, grassroots communities
where the liturgical presiders include women priests, married priests, celibate priests and other leaders.
The good news is that the Spirit of God is renewing the church in a spiritual uprising in vibrant, grassroots communities
where the liturgical presiders include women priests, married priests, celibate priests and other leaders.
The institutional
church is trying 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 Aquinas who
defined woman as a “defective male.”
In a modern day
inquisition, the Girl Scouts are facing an official inquiry by the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops. The problem is their association with groups
like Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and the Sierra Club because these
organizations support contraception and family. We challenge the bishops for
their unjust attack and stand in solidarity with the Girl Scouts for their
program of empowerment of girls. Let us feast on Girl Scout Cookies
often!
If women priests
were decision-makers in our church, women’s health care including contraception
and universal health coverage would be major justice issues. We believe women
have the divinely human right to make reproductive decisions on their own behalf
--without consulting male priests or bishops. 98% of sexually-active
Catholic women have used a method of contraception banned by the U.S. bishops.
A
spiritual uprising in theology is evident today in the thinking of brilliant
theologians like Elisabeth Johnson, author of Quest for the Living God
Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God, and Sr. Margaret Farley, author of
Just
love, A Framework for Christian Sexual
Ethics. Both books have been
denounced by the hierarchy. After the pope censured Farley’s book, which is
a contemporary ethical approach to same-sex relationships, masturbation,
remarriage after divorce, it soared from
obscurity to the top of Amazon.com’s best-seller list - six years after it was
published. In her book, Sr. Farley
argues that same-sex marriage “can also be important in transforming the hatred,
rejection, and stigmatization of gays and lesbians.” She wrote that “same-sex
relationships and activities can be justified according to the same sexual ethic
as heterosexual relationships and activities.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/us/sister-margaret-farley-denounced-by-vatican.html
Women are silent
and invisible and subordinate no more! We are speaking truth to power and the
ministry of irritation is our forte!
Roman Catholic
Women Priests Janice and Ree Hudson and Deacon Donna went to Rome last October
to support Fr. Roy Bourgeois who four years ago stood here to witness for
justice at Janice’s ordination. As you remember that resulted in big trouble for
Roy, which has played out like an ecclesiastical soap opera!
In her own words,
Donna shared this inspiring testimony explaining why she chose today’s reading
for her ordination. “I am like the woman in the story who after Jesus laid his
hand upon me, ‘stood up straight and began thanking God…’”
“In Ephesians
(3:17-21) we read: ‘I pray that God, out of the riches of divine glory, will
strengthen you inwardly with power through the working of the Spirit.’ I believe
this is what happened to the bent over woman and to me. We were strengthened
inwardly. I also think that until this happens we are unable to ‘grasp fully the
breadth, length, height and depth of Christ's love.’ Christ's love is not just
about putting on an 'all is well attitude'...It also involves working for
justice and not just trying to please everyone to keep the peace. When we stand
up and work to bring about the kin-dom, we don't make everyone happy. We even
encounter excommunication and disdain from some. Standing up with inward
strength means we have to rock the boat and that makes some people very unhappy.
But it also brings us in a place where we can grasp more fully the breadth,
length, height and depth of Christ's love.’”Amen, Donna, to rocking the boat of
Peter and walking on water with Christ! I guarantee that
you are in for quite a spiritual adventure!
I believe that on
a deep spiritual, mystical level women 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.
The New Testament
identifies the crucified Christ with the Wisdom of God. “…to those who are
called, Christ is the power and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 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.
Now we ordain our beloved sister, Donna, who like the woman whom Jesus set free in the Gospel, will share God’s healing compassion with all those she encounters in her ministry. Like the woman who was healed in the Gospel, we, too, are set free to work for justice and to live Gospel equality 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 N.VA. Dr. Meehan can be reached at sofiabmm@aol.com and www.arcwp.org
Now we ordain our beloved sister, Donna, who like the woman whom Jesus set free in the Gospel, will share God’s healing compassion with all those she encounters in her ministry. Like the woman who was healed in the Gospel, we, too, are set free to work for justice and to live Gospel equality 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 N.VA. Dr. Meehan can be reached at sofiabmm@aol.com and www.arcwp.org
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