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Commentary: San Viejo's Journey(continued from front page) While the male bishops who ordained the women have the power of apostolic succession, they are not in agreement with the Vatican's policy of excluding women from ordained ministry (as bishops, priests and deacons). The Vatican is hopping mad and would likely excommunicate those male bishops in a heartbeat if they knew who they were. The bishops who started this ball rolling said they were acting "for the good of their Church," but had to do so in secrecy at this time to avoid reprisal from the Vatican. Not being Catholic, I don't have a dog in this fight, other than my awareness that the age of the equal partnership of women and men has dawned and the age of the big, hairy institutional patrσn is rapidly fading. I can watch the birth of women bishops and priests without going into vapor lock. And frankly, it fills me with hope for the future of a venerable church on the ropes. Bridget Mary Meehan, all five feet of her, was born in Ireland and couldn't be any more Irish if she were a stone footbridge with a leprechaun under it. Wearing the vestments of a priest, a cream-colored chasuble and alb, embroidered with Celtic crosses, she greeted each of us warmly. She embraced my wife, Taeko, and thanked us for coming. This was going to be a beautiful celebration she told us, the occasion made more special by also being held on the day of the Assumption of Mary. The congregation, accompanied by Bridget Mary's 81-year-old father playing Amazing Grace on a saxophone, marched in procession toward the semicircle of chairs set around a small altar covered with a white cloth. What impressed me most was the utter inclusiveness of the ceremonies. There was no distinction made between Catholic and non-Catholic. All present were invited to partake of the Eucharist, with the only requirement being membership in the Body of Christ. I have been to many a Catholic mass, but this is the first time I was a full celebrant rather than just a welcome guest. There is something to be said for the mother's heart, the female half of humankind, the Divine Feminine. People naturally gravitate to the kitchen to sit by the hearth because that's where the love is. Not motivated by a desire for political control, this female power unites us and nurtures all life. Only by being open to this force, can love do the work of healing for which the female aspect of God has been linked since ancient times. This attitude is embodied in her sense of priesthood. For example, what to call the new priest? Mother Bridget Mary? "Just Bridget Mary," she said. "I don't need the titles." Make no mistake, this is not going to be easy, and in fact the hard part has already begun. The first group of women bishops and priests were promptly excommunicated in 2002 by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) when he was serving as Dean of the college of Cardinals in the Vatican. Being excommunicated in the Catholic Church is spiritual capital punishment from what I understand. The thing is, the women who have been given the Vatican's boot don't buy into the idea of leaving their church, even when the male hierarchy declare them excommunicated. Instead of quietly heading for the exit, they are insisting, "This is my church too. It needs people like me, and I'm not going anywhere." The women priests are celebrating mass in spite of the opposition and some bad press. People are voting with their feet - flocking to them in small house-churches, non-denominational chapels, public halls - anywhere they can have access to the sacraments of these women priests who bring the Holy Spirit's feminine nature and the logic of love. The Divine Feminine is holding its ground. At Bridget Mary's first Mass, several young women approached her, telling her that they are returning to the Catholic Church as she presents it - inclusive, loving. welcoming and free. If there is anything absolutely certain, it's that this is not going to go away. When you consider that the Catholic church has a rich history of condemning or excommunicating or even killing some of their own best people (Thomas Aquinas and Joan of Arc, for example) whom they later canonized as saints, the ladies are in good company. And of course the biggest troublemaker and rule-disser of all time was Jesus. Before him it was Moses. So there are strong precedents for reformers and revolutionaries ending up in history's good graces, especially if like Jesus, Moses, Galileo, Copernicus and Rosa Parks - they are also banner-carriers for a new age of consciousness. Before playing the excommunication card, the men of the Catholic Church might want to step back and ponder at length, the longer and wider view of things. Because time and again the Catholic Church did not police itself, reforming theologians like Martin Luther and Calvin took the Body of Christ into new directions, from which Christian unity has yet to be restored. It's always good introspection for all religious leaders of every stripe to remember that the people who blocked Jesus every step of the way were clergy and the only reason Pontius Pilate isn't totally anonymous in history is because he okayed the crucifixion of Christ. And who needs that on their resume? But most of all, women priests (and male priests such as Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo of Zaire who recently declared that he is married) have come along at a time when they are desperately needed by the Roman Catholic Church. The old ways of the Church have never been on shakier ground. I have friends who are devoted lifelong Catholics who have told me they will not let their child be alone in a room with a priest. Period. That's pretty heavy. Some surveys show that 60 percent or more of the Catholic laity would happily accept women priests - married or single. In some places more than half the churches don't have a priest because of the shortage of takers for a vocation to the all-male celibate priesthood of the Church. I'm no expert, but I think we could be looking at an idea whose time has come. Here's a scary question: What if it is the case that women bishops, priests and deacons are being sent by none other than God, for the purpose of saving the Catholic Church and bringing it into sync with God's will? What if those meant to be rescued are throwing rocks at the helicopter? To an outsider, but one who is very much invested in discovering, and aligning myself with, the leading edge of Providence this looks like a good time to tuck that excommunication card back up the sleeve and to wait and pray and try to discern if God is involved in this, and on which side. Will the male Catholic leadership be able to do that? Where will all this go? I don't know, but my wife does. On the way home from Bridget Mary's mass, Taeko, who is Japanese, remarked that the diminutive priest has tiny hands. She said, "In Japan we have a saying that a person with small hands will do big things." Larry Moffitt is editor of ReligionAndSpirituality.com. His email address is Editor@ReligionAndSpirituality.com |
