Dear Pope Francis-Please Read This
Dear Pope Francis,
Women Priests are already here, and speaking for myself, we love and respect you (for so many reasons including those noted below*). You are courageous and leading our church back to where it began with Jesus and to the simplicity of where it ought to be,standing with the least among us as Jesus did and challenging the religious who have ossified in their beliefs. But we must ask you to consider again your position on women. The Gospel for Sunday, the 4th Sunday in Lent is about Jesus healing the man born blind John 9:1-41). As we accept that we are all sometimes like the religious leaders of the time it is also about our blindness, our blind-spots. Humbly I suggest that as well as you see,and seeing, shed light on us, your blind-spot on women is showing particularly in your recent response to the Amazonian Synod. Below I share a letter from our Roman Catholic Women Priest Bishops world-wide. Please consider it strongly and with your heart.
With Gratitude,
Rev. Dr. Judith Lee, RCWP, Fort Myers, Florida
(The RCWP Bishops Letter follows some of the reasons we hold you in such high esteem. I could not just cut and paste but a link is provided).
*There are so many reasons to love Pope Francis and his teachings. His emphasis on Bishops and Priests and Pastors having the “smell of the sheep” on them, in other words remaining close to their flocks, knowing them, loving them, hearing them, serving WITH them, is a light in darkness for us. Similarly his emphasis on the wealth of the church being its people and serving its people, especially those without means and those on the margins, and not amassing silver and gold shines the light on some of the core values of the church hijacked in ostentatious materialism. His revulsion of the history of sexual abuse and recent “solutions” to this are also so important to the survival of the church. And his recent response to the Amazonian synod is likewise noteworthy, except for his traditional response to women where he keeps us separate in service which is, as we have well learned, never just or equal.)
The following statement by the Roman Catholic Women Priest Bishops serves to challenge Pope Francis to risk more displeasure of some in the Vatican, in the church, of Opus Dei and ultra conservative critics and come aboard with his sister priests who are already serving alongside him and their brother priests.
When you click on this link (line below) a download will appear on your screen, bottom left. You can then open it and read the strong letter from the RCWP Bishops.
RCWP Bishops respond to Quierda Amazonia-r1
Two Roman Catholic Women Priests Reflect on Seeing As God Sees: For The 4th sunday in Lent-March 22,2020
Here, two Roman Catholic Women Priests share their thoughts on the important and provocative readings on how we see and how God sees, on our blindness, for the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Rev. Beverly Bingle,RCWP from Ohio and I have each written our thoughts so that you can participate in the Liturgy of the Word at home at a time when actual meetings are not possible. This is the link for Rev. Beverly’s beautiful homily courtesy of Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan,ARCWP’s blog where it is published. We are deeply thankful to Rev. Bingle for sharing this with us.
https://www.bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2020/03/homily-for-5th-sunday-of-lent-by.html
Like many other churches that draw crowds during this time of “social distance” to prevent the Covid-19 virus from spreading, our Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community in Fort Myers will not be able to meet this Saturday afternoon. Many members and friends have conveyed their sadness at this and asked to read our reflections here. So this is our “virtual celebration ” of sorts. We will still miss our worship time together and just being together in person to celebrate the recent happenings of this community. So I will mention a few highlight events here.
First our March and April Birthdays: On March 3rd our beloved Ann Palmer turned 90 years old. Her family gave her a huge surprise birthday party that Judy Alves and I attended for our Good Shepherd Community. The love she sowed in her life was so evident as so many whose lives she touched as a lifelong Fort Myers resident gathered round her expressing their gratitude. Remarkably, Ann is devout and traditional in many beliefs of the Church but she has warmly embraced women priests and our community since we began in 2007. and And on the same date, our twins Jakeriya and Jakein Maybin turned 18 years old. Raised and baptized in The Good Shepherd Church, we are so happy to see them arrive at their majority and congratulate them on remaining in High School and moving forward at a very hard time for them after the death of their mother in 2017. Our faithful church member and frequent cook and caterer Cyrillia Rismay also had a big birthday on March 18th and we send her birthday blessings on this very day. Timothy Vanderwarf who has also been with us since the beginning has a birthday on the 31st of March. We assured him that we will not forget his birthday. And April 3rd brings the 12th birthday of our dear Joelle White who has been with is for all of her amazing young life. What a joy to see her grow into a lovely and bright young woman who continues to love singing and acting and school. April 8th is Awsha Sanders’ birthday and we remember her as well. She has moved temporarily out of the area but always remains in touch.
BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS TO ALL!
We also say thank you and offer prayers for Pastor Judith McKloskey,RCWP from Kansas City, Missouri as she and her husband Dan drive back home from their winter here,in Bonita Springs. Our congregation will miss her caring warmth and music leadership.
We also give our condolences to Michelle Landino who lost her partner Nancy Callo, 57 years old, to sudden death in her sleep last week. They were a part of our GS community from 2013-2015 before they moved out of the area. A blessed Easter Rising to Nancy and our compassion for Michelle and Nancy’s family in their loss.
The pictures above are of Ann Palmer, 90 with Judy Alves and Joelle White,who will turn 12.
Seeing As God Sees– Introduction-
We have been travelling with Jesus toward the cross and beyond to his resurrection this Lenten season. We have been looking at our own lives and taking stock of where we,like the religious and his disciples fail to know and see and emulate Jesus. Jesus has been healing the sick and engaging with the outcast of his world including the Samaritan women with whom he entrusted the good news of his identity. He has been teaching and feeling frustrated with the religious who try to trap him and with the disciples who sometimes fail to see who he really is. This week we witness Jesus healing a man born blind. As we listen to Jesus we can identify with the religious critics and the disciples who “don’t get it” although, hopefully, we can also identify with the man who was blind but now can see.
For this Lenten Sunday we would have two opening hymns- a warm-up with the brief chant our congregation uses called “Revive us Again” that acknowledges that we need to be brought to life in Christ once again. And “All Are Welcome” for once again that is the message of the day-the blind, the lame, the sick, the deaf, the well, the poor , the well- to-do of all cultures, races, classes, sexual orientations and genders. ALL are welcome to Jesus’ Table-no exceptions.
Our Opening Prayer is: Our living, loving and forgiving God, we come before You with contrite hearts mindful of the ways we choose darkness rather than light. We pray that You will be with us and our troubled world, now plagued by a frightening health scare, and bring us guidance,healing and peace. We seek to see as You do, we seek to find You again in this Lenten season….”
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13. the prophet Samuel goes to choose a king for Israel from Jesse’s sons. Samuel looks at Eliab, an handsome young adult. But God guides him to David, the youngest son and says to him” Do not judge from appearance…God does not see as people see: I look at the heart”
Responsive Psalm 23: God is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want”. We respond with the chorus of the hymn Shepherd Me O God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears from death into life
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14- Live as Children of the light.
– shine with goodness, justice and truth.
Before the Gospel Acclamation we chant and claim the ground we stand on and ourselves and our neighbors, pointing at each, as Holy Ground.
Acclamation: Praise to You, Jesus Christ, who reigns in endless Glory.! “I am the light of the world, the one who follows me will have the light of life” Praise to You…
Gospel: John 9:1-41 “work for the night is coming…I am the Light (so you can see the work that needs to be done…)” “I came into the world so that those who do not see may see…”
The Gospel is read in English and in Spanish, the latter by our associate Pastor, Rvda Marina Teresa Sanchez Mejia who will also do a translation of the homily.
Today Jesus heals the blind man and he sees the light. Although both he and Jesus are ridiculed, he sees who Jesus is-The Messiah, the Son of Man, the Light- and has both faith and sight restored. To have faith, to believe and to affirm what Jesus has done and who he is is to “see”. The Pharisees would rather debate Jesus and try to trip him up than to see his light. They have no compassion for the man born blind. They see him as a sinner and a loser. But imagine how he feels as he sees for the first time-light, color, his parents, trees, flowers, people… his life is completely changed in an instant. I have a friend who had a cataract operation recently with a complicated condition. She could not stop describing light,textures and color. The religious of the time can not see what Jesus did only what they want to see- a man breaking Sabbath law by healing on the Sabbath. The man who suffered and begged as Jesus walked by on the Sabbath is of NO concern to them. They say they can see-but they are the ones who are blind. Jesus tells them that directly.
So we must wonder: what is it that we cannot see? Where are we also blind? What are our blind spots even if we can “generally” see Jesus? Are certain people or certain groups of people of no real concern to us? Are we blind to their situations-their experiences- to their suffering? Are there things people try to show us that we can not see? Are our own religious, social, economic, political or other beliefs thick lenses that blind us to the way God would see others? Do we look on the appearance rather than on the heart? Are we so worried about our own fears and wants that we cannot see others? Oh Dear Jesus, help us to see and own our own blind-spots. Help us to see others, to see You and to see the world as You see it, and act accordingly. Be the light for us….AMEN.
The Communion Hymn we would have had this week with Pastor Judith MCKloskey singing and leading us was “Change our Hearts” by Rory Cooney Copyright 1984 spiritandsong.com,a division of OCP. All rights reserved. “Change our hearts this time, your word says it can be. Change our minds this time,your life could make us free. We are the people your call set apart,Lord, this time, change our hearts.”
During Holy Communion we would sing the Spiritual softly “It’s me,it’s me, it’s me oh Lord, standin’ in the need a prayer” and “Thank You, God, Thank You God…You been so good…You been my friend…”
And after our Mutual Blessing of one another at the ending before the Deacon tells us “The Mass is over, go and serve one another” we would sing “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”, hopefully more resolute in this desire than when we began our worship.
May God Bless you on the 4th Sunday of Lent, and bless you with light, now and always, AMEN.
Pastor Judy Lee, RCWP
Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community , Fort Myers, Florida
Rev. Dr. Judith Lee
Nations Are Judged By Treatment Of the Most Vulnerable: A Lenten Meditation by a Roman Catholic Woman Priest
Readers of all faiths and no particular faith are invited to take a deep breath, exhale slowly and focus on our world and our country at this point in time. Focus on what is right and beautiful and focus on what is ugly and unjust, on the “haves and have-nots” and on those trying hard to have, to share, and to build a just Nation. You may be surprised when I say that the coinciding of Lent in the Christian tradition and the U.S. Presidential Primaries and debates DO have something in common. I will try to draw some of those commonalities here. This is at risk of alienating those who are sick of politics and promises loosely made and rarely kept. But it is also necessary and hopeful in encouraging the connections between what we value and believe in the Scriptures and applying it not only individually but as a National entity.
My ears and my whole being perked up in the recent Democratic TV debate when two of the candidates, not totally in sync with one another, quoted similar scriptures when asked their favorite quotes: Elizabeth Warren quoted Matthew 25: 40 in the King James version ” Inasmuch as ye did it to the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me”. (Or in The Priests for Equality Inclusive Bible (TIB): “…the truth is , every time you did this for the least of my sisters or brothers, you did it for me”. And the corollary is Matthew 25:45 ” “The truth is, as often as you neglected to do this to the least of these,you neglected to do it to me…. only the just will go off to eternal life.”) And Pete Buttigeig quoted the Golden rule. “You should love your neighbor as yourself”. And each of the other candidates without quoting scripture made points about how they would make policy and or program provision for the “least of these”, including the homeless, the sick, particularly those without money, and children and youth seeking education as well as daily breakfast and immigrants and migrants. These aspirations for the Nation were very much in line with the Golden rule and Matthew 25, with or without saying so. All were hopeful for a new day for the underserved and those for whom racism, classism and gender inequality have taken its toll. Sure, the “devil is in the details” and the details of all plans and hopes need work, but at least the start of such altruistic aspirations and plans were good to hear.
As it is now, under the current Administration, where would the USA stand in the Matthew 25 “judgement of the sheep and the goats?” To provide context-this is where Jesus frames the scene as a judgement of nations, of countries while we often apply it only to our individual lives, thereby getting only a part of the point being made. Not only do we singly have to measure up to the “rule of love,” but our country, our nation needs to do so as a Nation, as well. Matthew 25:32 states: “All the nations will be brought before him, and as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right and the goats on his left”- and those who do not feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, welcome strangers into their homes/nations-house the stranger and the homeless- and clothe the naked and visit/take care of the sick and imprisoned will be considered the “just” and will be gathered in with the good sheep. Moreover in doing so the nation and individual that does these kind and merciful things is actually doing those acts of kindness as if God stood there before them as a hungry, thirsty, outsider/stranger in need of a home, a doctor, and a welcome. So, how does the USA as a Nation do with the application of the “Golden Rule” that Jesus emphasizes (Matthew 25:31-46)? This “Rule” actually originates in the Hebrew Tradition in Leviticus 191-2,11-18 ending with “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.
These scriptural passages were in yesterdays, March 2nd 2020 Lenten meditations. And in today’s Lenten meditation Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth. (In context this is God’s will for justice, especially for the poor and most vulnerable). While today’s Psalm 34 reminds us that ” When the poor one cried out, the Lord heard…The Lord has eyes for the just, and ears for their cry…and is close to the broken-hearted and those who are crushed in spirit.” Too often we make this about our individual emotional or spiritual states but I close my eyes and see parents and children being separated, torn apart, at the US-Mexico border and people dying on the arduous journey to the closed door they thought represented freedom and safety. And, in keeping with our Good Shepherd’s Ministry to the homeless and poorest among us, I shrink at the numbers of people of all ages still living in the streets in the USA.
How does the USA enact and operationalize this precious Golden rule? How do we as a Nation include the interests of the most vulnerable in our policies and programs? How do the Presidential candidates enliven and enact this rule in their own lives as well as in their proposed or actual programs, policies and actions? While we are sick of political disappointments and may want to pull back-this is the time to energize to do the opposite. To find the best of the very human candidates to vote for- and to do it, and help others to get out and vote as well. Not to say,”I’m not voting-there is no one I like”. That simply leaves the decision to someone else who may not want to live the Golden rule in this time of great greed and lack of global and environmental awareness. It means assigning the environment and all of its creatures to the needs of the greedy to get more. We need instead to look forward to Spring in this winter of discontent. To embrace the new growth that can surely happen.
To quote Sr. Chris Koellhoffer,IHM in http://www.livingwithchrist.us the word “Lent” derives from a word meaning Springtime. It evokes the feeling of seeing the new purpleblue crocus poking its head through the ice and snow as winter recedes, or the sheer beauty of a Spring day. While in many climates winter seems cold , iced over,barren and permanent, it is not. The cycle or spiral of life is still underneath and moves forward and makes itself known, sometimes when we need it most. Sr. Chris asks that we enter into this liturgical Springtime with deep listening to the word of God in the Scriptures and with “deep faith in God’s creative power to bring forth life in every heart,in every corner of our world”. Lent is traditionally a time of thoughtful and deep meditation with prayer, fasting and almsgiving. That is ,we take stock of ourselves and our shortcomings, and this can include of our Country and its shortcomings held up to the light of the Scriptures, and we fast from anything that would be unhealthy for us spiritually , as well as physically, and with a smile on our faces not a “woe is me” for trying to change something difficult with our “fasts” and prayers, we then ACT in compassion for justice and peace. And we do this in a million small ways right where we are. And those ways now need to include making wise political decisions and holding those decisions up to the light of the scriptures, and to the light of day.
The Network federation of Sisters religious (famous for the nuns on the bus and their lifegiving, including, political activities) have a website that can inspire and guide us in this direction. Here is a link to their Network Advocates and an article about Spirit-Filled Voting that is challenging and clear. https://www.networkadvocates.org/spiritfilledvoters/listening/ Also http://www.votecommongood.com Sister Emily TeKloste of the Network Lobby for Catholic Soical Justice teaches us to Listen First, then Act. What good advice! And there are so many coalitions of interfaith religious, and of secular groups to save the environment or assist migrants and refugees, and coalitions of people who work for getting out the vote, there is a place for every one of us to get involved in making something new happen.
So for Lent, this year do something, anything, and DO the most you can do to enact justice and make sure our Nation does the same!
Blessings and love as Lent continues on to the Cross and YES, to the Rising up from the dead!
For the “least of these”,
Pastor Judy Lee,
Good Shepherd Ministries of SW Florida
Rev. Dr. Judith Lee, RCWP, DMin, DSW, MS
judyablfollowingSheWhoIs 
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