A blessed Pentecost to all! May the Holy Spirit that inspired and equipped the disciples, the women and men gathered in that place long ago, to proclaim the Gospel everywhere, ignite the church today into proclaiming the Gospel of God’s great love,  compassion and inclusion with social and economic justice for all.

Today,the day before we celebrate Pentecost,  is a great day in the history of what people can do together! Here is Francis De Bernardo’s Blog on the two victories of the day:  the Beatification of Msgr. Oscar Romero and Marriage Equality in Ireland-The only word to add is : AMEN!

The following is the statement of Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director, New Ways Ministry, on the occasion of Ireland voting to legalize marriage for lesbian and gay couples:

Today, headlines around the world announced Catholic news from two different parts of the globe, which may seem disparate, but which share an important common theme.

In Ireland, one of the most Catholic nations on earth, hundreds of thousands voted overwhelmingly in a general referendum to enact marriage equality for lesbian and gay couples.

In El Salvador, a strongly Catholic nation, hundreds of thousands turned out for beatification ceremonies for Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was martyred 35 years ago while celebrating Mass.

What do these two stories have in common?   In both cases, the opinion of Catholic lay people has won the day, even when the church’s hierarchy opposed both developments.  In both cases, the sense of the faithful overcame institutional fears and customs.  In both cases, Catholic ideals were articulated and lived out by the laity.

In Ireland, the Catholic bishops spoke out consistently against the establishment of marriage equality.  Their statements have been documented here on this blog.  But lay people insisted that allowing lesbian and gay couples to marry was consistent with Catholic principles of equality, fairness, human dignity, and family stability.

In El Salvador, lay people instantly declared Romero as a saint at the time of his death, but his cause for canonization was hindered during the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI because Vatican officials feared any possible endorsement of liberation theology.  But lay people, especially those who were living in poverty, insisted that Romero, who defended their rights and human dignity fearlessly, was indeed worthy of veneration as a martyr.

In both of these cases, the prayers and work of lay people have won out over hierarchical reluctance.

New Ways Ministry prays with joy for both nations for their courage and determination to bring about justice and Catholic ideals into the public square.

There is still work to be done in both cases. In El Salvador, the advancement towards canonizing Romero as a saint must still be completed. The support of Pope Francis in this case may help to speed up the process.

In Ireland, the Catholic Church there needs to learn to work together once again–hierarchy and laity.  There will be pastoral work needed to help unite Catholics who were opposed during the marriage equality campaign.  U.S. bishops who have been involved in marriage equality debates have yet to do this type of work, and our church is hurting and losing much of the faithful because of omission of this step.

In Ireland, the job may be a bit lighter because the hierarchy’s leader, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin (vice- president of the nation’s bishops conference) has been extremely courteous in their opposition to marriage equality.  While maintaining consistent and strong opposition to marriage equality, he also voiced respect for those who held a different opinion.  He worked hard for his position, but he worked even harder to make sure that those who disagreed with him would not be alienated from the Church.

Congratulations and prayerful thanks to the Catholics of Ireland who have shown what we here in the U.S. have known for a long time:  that Catholic lay people support marriage equality because they are Catholic, not in spite of being Catholic.

Congratulations and prayerful best wishes to the Catholics of El Salvador who have shown that the preferential option for the poor is a pillar of Catholicism and that our church should honor those who live out that principle even in the face of violent opposition.

Yesterday was a day when, to paraphrase Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,  the arc of the moral universe bent a little more toward justice.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Here I offer my commentary and an article by Francis De Bernardo of newaysministryblog that reports on the story of a Colombian Bishop who attempted to engage the GLBT community in positive ways and was then caught by those on the right and the left for the imperfections in his dialogue. His apologies seemed authentic and on balance were promising for future positive dialogue and discourse. This is a story form my ministry as a commentary on Cordoba’s first tentative steps at extending God’s love to all.

There are gay young adults in our Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community and it is a constant struggle for me to make them welcome and affirmed in the face of other young (and some older) people who, influenced by the lack of acceptance in their cultures and other churches with literal interpretations of the Bible and what I call “(un)righteous and sanctioned hate” freely disparage gay people. This week in our Teen and Young Adult class (ages 15-23) about the “Great Commission”  a 16 year old who sometimes attends a fundamentalist church with his family said: “My other pastor said that the world will end soon because of the sinful behavior of gays and others who live in sin.” He made crude jokes and used demeaning words to describe “gay behavior” and tried to quote the Bible to justify his positions. The gay young man sat back and scrutinized him.  Then he shared that God has brought him back from nearly dying and so today he wants to give thanks to God and share God’s love with others.  Some of the other kids laughed. I knew that talking about this made them nervous, but it was more derisive than nervous laughter. I said that I believed that he meant this with all of his heart and it moved me. After a silence,others said gay people are okay unless they come on to straight people. One young man replied that if God didn’t punish sin then everyone would enjoy sinning so he thought gays would definitely be punished.  Others asked if the world was really about to end. It was my turn to teach.

I admit that I inhaled deeply and with a prayer. First I said that those disparaging terms were hateful and ignorant and should never be used by anyone, especially those who say they follow Christ. Our gay young man relaxed and smiled and said “There!”. Then I repeated my constant message that God is love and we are all created and sustained by God’s love. Each one of us is a unique work of art by a loving God.  God loves each of us completely, just as we are and that includes gay and bisexual and questioning people. (The TV ads for the HBO Movie Bessie Smith brought bisexuality into their consciousness and this was mentioned.) The Bible should never be used to justify hateful positions and I would be glad to meet with the 16 year old’s other pastor to discuss the Bible. For example, he may like to know that the sin of Sodom and Gomorah was not “Sodomy” but inhospitality to strangers.  And the context of Paul’s words on this were for a certain community with specific behaviors in a specific context at a specific time and not a moral pronouncement for the ages. Two young women said that they were really scared about the world ending soon and I said that we needed to take care of our planet so it can go on with clean air and water and health for all of us. But, what our friend’s pastor said about gay behavior causing the world to end now was simply uninformed misunderstanding of the Scriptures. We need to know who God is-Love- and how Love behaves. As Pope Francis recently said “who am I to judge” gay people, (or anyone)-love does not judge or condemn or disparage(talk poorly about) anyone. And now we turn to how to spread the Gospel of love, not hateful misunderstandings….”   After the class, our gay young man thanked me and said he feels safe when I teach the others. He believes really God does love him and he told this to a particular friend of his. I gave him a big hug and asked him to bring his friend to church and to our class. He said he would.

I truly hope that hearing about and experiencing God’s love can change the ignorant,hateful, and hurtful positions on gay people sometimes learned and reinforced in church. I hope that influential Bishops like Pope Francis and Juan Vicente Cordoba of Colombia can pave the way unambiguously for new understandings and the cessation of sanctioned condemnation and  disparagement of at least a tenth of God’s human creation who are not of heterosexual sexual orientation.  As Bishop Cordoba said: The church welcomes every man and woman with a mother’s love…”

Would that it were so and will be so.

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, Roman Catholic Woman Priest     

FROM Newwaysministryblog:

We followed the sentencing and imprisonment of sister Megan Rice, 83, and Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli           earlier in this blog. Now we are happy to say that they have just been released from prison! Thanks be to God, to Bill Quigley and all good lawyers and the support from the public and the dedicated peacemakers! These three courageous souls have won an important fight and brought the horrors of nuclear armament  out in the open.

Here is the BBC article and the TNowPlowshares Blog article

US court orders release of three anti-nuclear activists

• 16 May 2015 BBC
• From the sectionUS & Canada

A US federal appeals court has ordered the immediate release of three anti-nuclear activists, including an elderly Catholic nun, the group’s lawyer says.

Attorney Bill Quigley says he hopes they will be released within days.

Last week, sabotage convictions against Sister Megan Rice, 85, Michael Walli, 66, and Greg Boertje-Obed, 59, for breaking into a Tennessee nuclear facility in 2012 were overturned.

But it upheld guilty verdicts for damaging government property.

From Transform Now Plowshares Blog

In an amazing turn of events, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals this evening ordered the immediate release of Megan Rice, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed, the Transform Now Plowshares activists who were serving time in federal prison for their action at the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex in Oak Ridge, TN to protest plans for a new multibillion dollar nuclear bomb plant there.

Things unfolded rapidly this afternoon.

At 4:00pm word came from Bill Quigley, attorney for MGM, that the government had filed a notice that it would not oppose the release of Greg, Michael and Megan pending resentencing. The government’s notice was interesting—it included notice to the court that, when resentencing did happen, the government would not be seeking terms of imprisonment greater than the time already served. But, the prosecutor said, the court could not release the defendants unless it determined their were “extraordinary circumstances.” The government’s brief went on to note the issues cited by the defendants did not constitute ordinary circumstances. There was a way, though, the government pointed out, under a different statute, and then noted that another court had ruled keeping a defendant unjustly incarcerated beyond the time they would be expected to serve would be an extraordinary circumstance. “We defer to the Sixth Circuit” said the government.

Then, just after 7:00pm this evening, the Sixth Circuit ordered the immediate release of Megan, Greg and Michael on their own recognizance. The order is not available at this time, but the word from Quigley is reliable. In a delightful serendipity, Monday is Greg Boertje-Obed’s birthday—with any luck, he will be home to celebrate it with his family!

tnplowshares | May 15, 2015 at 10:01 pm | Categories: Updates | URL:http://wp.me/p2DeLo-dY

Sister Megan was jailed for nearly three years for entering the Oak Ridge facility, which stores uranium.

The other two protesters were each sentenced to more than five years in prison.

The July 2012 incident prompted security changes at the Y-12 site.

‘Displays of ineptitude’

On Friday, Mr Quigley said he was trying to get the three activists out of prison as soon as possible.

They have spent two years behind the bars, and the appeals court said they likely already had served more time than they would received for the lesser charge.

The campaigners are members of the group Transform Now Plowshares.

During their trial last year, Walli and Boertje-Obed received tougher sentences because they had longer criminal histories.

The trio were also found guilty of causing more than $1,000-worth (£650) of damage to government property.

After cutting a fence to enter the site, they walked around, spray-painted graffiti, strung out crime-scene tape and chipped a wall with hammers.

They spent two hours inside the site.

The trio also sprayed the exterior of the complex with baby bottles containing human blood.

When a guard approached, they offered him food and started singing.

At the trial, Sister Megan said her only regret was waiting so long to stage her protest. “It is manufacturing that which can only cause death,” she said.

US lawmakers and the Department of Energy later launched an inquiry and uncovered “troubling displays of ineptitude” at the facility.

Top officials were reassigned, including at the National Nuclear Security Administration.

WSI, the company providing security at the site, was dismissed and other officers were sacked, demoted or suspended.

.

 This article on the Roman Catholic priestly Ordination of  Rita Lucey is from The Orlando Sentinel, May 15,2015. We personally know Rev. Rita Lucey and admire her as a woman of tremendous faith and spiritual presence. She also has unselfishly given her life to peace activism as well as church ministry. She is married and a devoted mother and grandmother as well. There are 208 or more Roman Catholic women who are ordained priests throughout the world. What a wonderful dimension and perspective this feminine presence is bringing to the church,also bringing in many who had become disillusioned with the church. In the picture on the right above Rita Lucey is on the left. The other priests are Maureen McGill and Marina Teresa Sanchez Mejia of Colombia.

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

FROM THE ORLANDO SENTINEL

“In 2002, on the shore of the Danube River, seven Catholic women broke tradition and sent tremors to the very foundation of the Church. That day, the Danube 7 were ordained as priests — an office not recognized as valid for women parishioners in the Catholic Church.

In doing so, the septet started a movement that adherents say contests for nothing less than spiritual equality in forging a more inclusive church that reflects a 21st-century sensibility.

It’s a fight not without supporters. Two years ago, a Quinnipiac University poll found that at least 60 percent of U.S. Catholics backed female ordination. It’s a controversial movement that touched down in Central Florida in January. At Christ Unity Church in Orlando, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests ordained octogenarian Rita Lucey a priest.

Supporters of ordaining women, including one of today’s columnists, contend that excluding women from the Roman Catholic priesthood not only is rooted in antiquated sexism, but also comes lacking any convincing biblical justification.
Meanwhile, advocates say the status quo is reliant on faith, not fashion. The whims of changing eras have no bearing on God’s immutable word. And God, as today’s other columnist argues, clearly chose men to deliver his message and minister to his flock.

Pink smoke may never rise from the Vatican. Nevertheless, women like Lucey continue to serve — fiat or no.

By the numbers: 208 Roman Catholic Women Priests”

On Saturday May 9th The Memorial Service for our beloved sister priest Rev. Dr. Adele Decker Jones was held in the (formerly) Franciscan Chapel at Villa St. Antonio in San Antonio, Texas where Adele lived and ministered in her last several years.  While this facility was no longer Franciscan but now owned by a secular corporation the beautiful Chapel was Adele’s favorite place for  sacred prayer and contemplation and requested by Adele for her funeral.  An unnamed Monsignor in the Villa’s Diocese tried to block the Mass but was not able to do so as the property was no longer under Roman Catholic auspices.  This celebration of Adele’s courageous and pioneering life was full of music and poetry and joy in remembering Adele. Family and friends from as far as California and New York and others who loved her gathered to share memories and pray together in a Mass where Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan presided, assisted by Rev. Dotty Shugrue, both of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, one of six Roman Catholic Women Priests groups world wide. Rev. Dr. Adele Decker Jones was our dear friend and mentor and a credit to Roman Catholic Women Priests and courageous women of faith everywhere. We regretfully could not attend the funeral in person but our hearts were with her and her family at this time of celebration, farewell and commendation to our loving God in the name of the Risen Christ where Adele is forevermore.

with love and eternal admiration for Adele Decker Jones. (Her story has been told on my blog twice, once in June 2013 and again this April, 2015. It can never be told enough for she is an inspiration to all.)

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

This is the Memorial Liturgy

from bridgetmary’sblog.com

Nocturno, form Lyric Pieces, Opus 54, Edvard Grieg 

Opening Song: Prelude: Derek Jones, piano

Gathering Prayer:

Loving God, we gather to remember Adele who has died. We give thanks for the many blessings that our Sister brought to us. May your loving presence comfort her family, friends, and  our  women priests’ community in their grief for her loss. In this liturgy we comfort one another as we share God’s love and remember our dear Adele who was” made for joy.”

First Reading: Philippians 4:4-9

 King James Version (We used this translation of Adele’s favorite scripture because her grandmother used to pray these scripture verses with Adele as a child. It is our practice to use inclusive language in our services. However, our Sister Adele’s wishes were of utmost importance to us and love always trumps everything else. Two months ago, Adele planned this inspiring Memorial liturgy with me over the phone, and when Dotty and I visited her in late March we reflected together on the entire service. Adele is an inspiration to us all. Bridget Mary. We will hold her in our hearts forever.)

 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. The Word of God. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 23:  God is my shepherd, I shall not want.

All: God   is   my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want.

God, you are my shepherd. I want nothing more. You let me lie down in green meadows.

You

lead me beside restful waters. Your refresh mysoul.

All: God is my shepherd, I shall not want.

You guide me to lush pastures for the sake of yourName. Even if l’m surrounded by shadows of

death, I fear no danger, for you are with me.

All: God is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Your rod and your staff: They give me courage. You spread a table for me in the presence of my enemies, and you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.

All: God is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Only goodness and Jove will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in your house, God, for days without end.

All: God is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Gospel: John 14:1-3:

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? I am indeed going to prepare a place for you

And then I will come back to take you, that where I am, there you may be as well.

Shared Homily: Tribute –we light a candle as we remember our dear Adele and share stories of her joy, faith, and wisdom that has touched our lives and blessed our world.

After each sharing, we pray:

All: Loving God, we will carry Adele in our hearts forever.

Music at Offertory: Offertory #1: Panis Angelicus, Cesar Frank

Alex Chavarria, Baritone    Shearon Horton, piano

PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS

Presider:  Blessed are you, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer to you, fruit of the earth and work of human hands. It will become for us the bread of life.

All: Blessed by God for ever.

Presider: Blessed are you, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you, fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.

All Blessed be God for ever.  

Presider: Pray my brothers and sisters that our offerings may give praise to God.

All: May God accept our gifts for the praise and glory of God and for our good and for the good of our church.

Presider:  God is with you, proclaiming love.

ALL:  and also with you. 

Presider:  Lift up your hearts that Jesus proclaims healing, justice and peace for all people. 

ALL:  We lift them up to God. 

Presider:  Let us give thanks to our God.

ALL:  It is right to give God thanks and praise.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

Presider 1:  Lifegiving Love, You have called us to be radiant reflections of your holy presence on earth. United with You, we are one with all beings in the community of creation  we join the angels and saints as we say: 

ALL: Holy, Holy Holy, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is the One who comes in the name of our God. Hosanna in the highest.

Presider 2:  Gracious God, you set the banquet table and invite all to the feast that celebrates your boundless love in the universe.  As midwives of grace we are Your hands, lifting up those who suffer, the vulnerable and excluded in our world today.

Presider 1: We especially thank you, Holy One, for Jesus, the Compassion of God, who came to show us a new vision of community where every person is loved and all relate with mutual respect. We welcome all God’s family into the Circle of Life at the Banquet of Love.

Presider 2: Jesus we remember our beloved Sister, Adele Jones, who is now in your eternal embrace in heaven.  We give thanks for her joyful witness to the Gospel during her life.  May we be blessed by her wisdom and inspired by her kindness as we celebrate our oneness with her in the communion of the saints.

All: (please all extend hands as we recite the consecration together)

Let your Spirit come upon these gifts as we pray:

On the night before he died, Jesus took bread into his hands and said:

This is my body, he said. Take and eat. Do this in in memory of me.

At the end of the meal Jesus took a cup of wine, raised it in thanksgiving to you, and said:

Take and drink of the covenant of my love poured out for you. Do this in memory of me.

Presider1:  Now then, let us proclaim the mystery of the Christ Presence made new again through you:  

ALL:  In every creature that has ever breathed, Christ has lived; in every living being that has passed on before us, Christ has died;  in everything yet to be, Christ will come again! 

Presider 2:  We honor the holy women and men who have revealed your compassion and justice in our world.  We thank you for people in our lives who show us how to love tenderly and have revealed the heart of our God, especially our dear  Adele

Presider 1: And so, liberating God, we hold our religious ministers and political leaders in the light of Christ Sophia, Holy Wisdom.  We pray for Pope Francis, for our bishops, for the young and the elders, and for all God’s holy people.

Presider 2:  We remember those who are sick and suffering.  May they be healed and comforted.  We remember Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary Magdala, Peter, Paul, and all the angels and saints who surround us with loving prayer each day.  We remember our dearly beloved Adele and all who have died that they may experience the fullness of life in the embrace of our compassionate God forever.

ALL:  Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, all praise and glory are yours, Holy God, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

THE PRAYER OF JESUS: Our Father and Mother

THE SIGN OF PEACE

 LITANY FOR THE BREAKING OF BREAD

ALL:  Loving God, You call us to speak truth to power, we will do so.

Loving God, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice, we will do so.

Loving God, You call us to live as Your presence in the world.  We will do so.

Presider1:  This is the Bread of Life.  All are invited to partake of this sacred banquet of love.  All: We are the Body of Christ, the family of God.

Communion: Music:

Nocturne, Opus 9, #1, Frederic Chopin

Derek Jones, piano

Communion #2 

Ave Maria, Franz Schubert

Alex Chavarria, Baritone    Shearon Horton, piano

Final Blessing:  

Presiders: May God bless us as we go forth.

May the angels lead you into paradise, Adele,

May the martyrs come to welcome you and take you to the holy city,

The new and eternal Jerusalem. May choirs of angels welcome you and lead you into the heart of God.

All: Eternal rest, grant unto her O God, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen

Recessional :When the Saints Go Marching In

“When the Saints Go Marching in”

Chorus: Oh when the Saints go marching in
When the Saints go marching in
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

We are traveling in the footsteps
Of those who’ve gone before
But we’ll all be reunited (but if we stand reunited)
On a new and sunlit shore (then a new world is in store)

Oh when the Saints go marching in
When the Saints go marching in
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

And when the sun begins to shine
And when the sun begins to shine
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon turns red with blood
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
On that hallelujah day
On that hallelujah day
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

O when the trumpet sounds the call
O when the trumpet sounds the call
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

Some say this world of trouble
Is the only one we need
But I’m waiting for that morning
When the new world is revealed

When the revelation comes
When the revelation comes
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

When the rich go out and work
When the rich go out and work
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

When the air is pure and clean
When the air is pure and clean
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

When we all have food to eat
When we all have food to eat
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to cry
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in

(Songwriters: Traditional

When The Saints Go Marching In lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group)

This article is from the dailymail.com.co.uk/news

BY Hannah Roberts

Pope Francis has ordered Roman Catholic priests to bestow a full pardon on women who have committed a mortal sin by having an abortion.

Next year, both women who have had abortions, and doctors that have performed them, will be able to seek absolution, as part of a special Holy Year of Mercy decreed by the pope.

In the Catholic Church, abortion is considered one of the gravest sins and results in automatic excommunication. It can only be forgiven in certain special circumstances, by high-ranking clergy or by making a pilgrimage to Rome during a Holy Year.

 Pope Francis is handed a child to bless on his first official trip outside Rome since taking the Papacy

But in a gesture of reconciliation the pope is for the first time to send ordinary priests as ‘missionaries of mercy’ all over the world with special powers to forgive even the most serious sins.

One of the organisers of the Jubilee Year Monsignor Rino Fisichella told a press conference that this included also abortion.

He said the pope meant the gesture ‘as a concrete sign that a priest must be a man of mercy and close to all.’

Those priests who apply to be missionaries must be especially skilled and ‘good confessors’, he said.

The theme of the Holy Year, which begins on December 8th, has been widely interpreted as a signal by Francis that the church should be less judgmental.

In a document known as a ‘bull of indiction’ explaining how he wants Catholic to celebrate the Jubilee year, the pope said that ‘the church must be ‘an oasis of mercy’.

It went on: ‘The Church’s very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love.’

+2

The Pope pauses to bless a young child in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican after a Palm Sunday service

The charismatic Pope Francis is proving popular, expressing a more progressive view on many Catholic beliefs that are seen as outdated and out of touch, such as those on contraception and abortion

The United Nations has previously condemned the Vatican for excommunicating the mother and doctor of a nine-year-old girl who had an abortion in Brazil in 2009 after she was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant with twins.

But the move is not likely to be approved universally. Italian cardinal Velasio De Paolis said it could cause ‘confusion’ among the faithful. He said: ‘Regardless of this decision by the pope, the church will continue to consider abortion a sin.

‘I hope it does not cause confusion.’

He told La Nazione: ‘He is the pope of mercy and wants to show the benevolence of the church towards sinners. This does not cancel the sin of abortion.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3070327/The-Pope-orders-Catholic-priests-bestow-pardon-women-abortion-doctors-performed-them.html#ixzz3ZT0wBfHy
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What’s love got to do with it, dear Tina Turner? “Everything!” is the answer in the readings for this Sunday and throughout the eight weeks of Easter during which we celebrate the risen Christ and the ways in which Christ remains with us.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  who, like Jesus, gave up his life for his friends, struggled with applying the gospel message of radical love and inclusion to our social and political structural context in America. In 1967 he said: . “…we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing‐oriented” society to a “person‐oriented” society. When machines and computers, profit motives and propertyrights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered… True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice, which produces beggars needs restructuring. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth… A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual
death.” —“Beyond Vietnam” (April 1967)

The first reading is from the book of Acts about the growth and struggles of the early church,struggles about exclusion and inclusion that are like ours today.  In Acts 10:25-48 we learn that despite the wishes of the early church to keep God for themselves and their small group, after a vision showing him that nothing (and no one) is impure when God makes them clean, and experiencing the righteous life of caring for the poor and prayer of the Centurion Cornelius, Peter instructs them: “I begin to see how true it is that God shows no partiality-rather, that any person of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God”(verses 34-35). And so, in the recent words of Pope Francis:”Who are we to judge?” When the Jewish Christians saw the compassionate actions of Cornelius and saw that the Holy Spirit equally visited Cornelius and his friends, they were open to Peter’s conclusion that all can be baptized. How awful it is, then that we can cite time after time that baptism was refused by a priest of the Roman Catholic Church (and I’m sure of other Christian faiths as well) to the children of gays, divorced, “intermarried”, or couples cohabiting and to these adults themselves as well. See, for example, https://newwaysministryblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/28/religious-superiors-call-for-rethinking-about-gay-couples-cardinal-burke-calls-them-murderers/ . Moreover, some also deny baptism and other sacraments to those who are not members of a certain parish. All of this is about exclusion and is the stark opposite of what Jesus asked of us. Clearly the texts of this day tell us that there is but one criteria of being right with God: that we love one another.

From the earliest years on we need to learn love, especially when people are different than we are. We have one Haitian boy,Jerry, that has been with us for a few years. One of our other boys constantly taunts him with remarks like: “Your people eat dogs, do voodoo and speak mumbojumbo”. We have addressed this as it happened and it is better, but not gone yet! Finally in the group I had Jerry share how the remarks made him feel. He looked up and said one word: “hurt’, adding “It’s not funny to me”.  Finally the other boy heard him.

Another example is acceptance across the racial divides. Fort Myers’ schools were not integrated until 1969. Most neighborhoods and most churches still remain segregated. School “balance” was achieved through a desegregation busing law but when that law reached its legal limit about two years ago it is no longer in force.     Our smaller kids are more able to cross the divides than the older ones. Sometimes the older kids reach out to one another but often they do not. It is our task to help remove these divides now or “integration” really has not happened and probably will not happen for them. Similarly we work on acceptance for our members with mental illness, mental challenges and those who may be gay or bisexual. With young people we work against ugly name calling, but with adults we work for full inclusion.

A few weeks ago some new children joined our Sunday school. One handsome little boy had long dreadlocks. One of our little girls,also African-American, said he was ugly because of his raggedy hair. (She also used stronger terms). We needed to take her aside and teach her about love and acceptance. The next week all of the children were eating and playing together and the incident was over. I commented to the boy that the little girl had learned something important, He said with remarkable honesty: ” I learned too- I said something mean back to her last week and now I won’t do that”.  This same 6 year old corrected a 13 year old boy who was sassing his teacher: “That is not the way we speak to adults”. Wow! He is a welcome addition.

The Epistle of 1 John 4:7-10 says: “Beloved, let us love one another….You who do not love have known nothing of God ,for God is love“.  Selah-pause and take that in. How blessed we are to have and know our God of love. Yet, what a struggle it can be for each of us to love as God does, as Jesus did. Jesus was full of surprises in who he embraced and loved-he included the social and political outcasts of the time and those who the strict religionists of his time saw as sinners- “impure”,unclean and outside of God’s love. Indeed, for Jesus, no one was outside of God’s love. We note in 1 John 4:10 that it was God who reached out to us, embraced us and gave all for us-God showed us how to love. We can take no credit for it, other than doing what we are asked to do: to love one another as God has loved us.

In the Gospel (John 15: 9-17) Jesus asks us to “live on in my love. and you will live on in my love if you keep my commandments”: “Love one another as I have loved you”. Jesus also calls us friends. How wonderful to have friendship with God through Christ. We pray to truly call each other friends. Recently I asked our Tuesday group members to write down the three things that empowered them most in their lives.  Most included “Friends” “community” ” church fellowship” and relationships as the source of empowerment. Carter Heyward and Mary Hunt, both feminist theologians, see friendship as a paradigm for our relationship with God. Bernard Cooke sees it as sacramental.    In John 15:17 loving one another is turned into a crystal clear commandment:”This command I give you:  Love one another”.   We are a work in progress. Real growth in love is hard to achieve. Let us pray for the grace to know what love means in our everyday lives,as a society, and as a church.  

AMEN! 

Here is the beautiful homily given by Bishop Andrea M. Johnson, RCWP on 4/25/15 at the Ordination of seven women priests from the Eastern Region of RCWP-USA.

Homily For RCWP Priestly Ordinations

April 25, 2015

Episcopal Church of the Redeemer

Morristown New Jersey

It is such a joy to be here in Morristown with all of you today — Jersey girl that I am – to celebrate together with you this historic moment in which we call forth and ordain seven new Roman Catholic Women Priests for the eastern USA. The first time there were seven ordained together was on the Danube River in June of 2002 when our movement began; and in 2006, eight women were ordained priests in Pittsburgh, PA, coming from the entire USA. This is the first time such a large number is being ordained for just one region of our country.

We are so very grateful to be here at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, and want to express our deep appreciation to the Reverend Cynthia Black and the entire congregation for welcoming us here today.

Our ordination liturgy began this afternoon with these words from our opening hymn: Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live. What an awesome vision of who we seek to be as church – as the Body of Christ! What an apt description of the mission of Roman Catholic Womenpriests, standing firmly within the Roman Catholic tradition, yet pushing the envelope, and creating a safe and welcoming space for all who want to participate.

The seven women who have come before us today seeking ordination to priesthood have prepared extensively, and they have discerned deeply. They have grasped and embraced our model of priestly ministry which is a servant model, an inclusive model that empowers all of God’s people.

The readings chosen by the ordinands reflect their clear understanding that their call to ordination is a call – not to a leadership of privilege, but to a leadership of servanthood; a leadership that is prophetic in its demand for justice in our church and in our world. Indeed, as our reading from Isaiah says, these servants are called to “give life and spirit to people; to proclaim the covenant of love and fidelity that our God offers us; to give light; to heal; and to liberate.”These ordinands know themselves to be called to empower others so that those they empower can do the same for yet others.

These women understand that, in order to serve,, they must first live by the Spirit, indeed follow the Spirit’s beckoning by living into the fruits of the Spirit – which include among them patience, generosity, gentleness and self-control – ….they follow the Spirit’s promptings, even as they struggle with the harsh realities of injustice and persistent inequities in our church and world systems. They are committed to seek out and to speak the truth as they minister, knowing that it is God’s Spirit who upholds them and leads them into all truth and all true unity.

As we in Roman Catholic Womenpriests approach thirteen years of existence as an initiative within the Roman Catholic Church, seeking to break open the model of ministry to include women and all baptized persons called by their communities to priesthood; and with those descended from the Danube ordinations of 2002 now numbering more than 200 worldwide, how can we describe our mission to ordain, and our vision of church going forward? In real terms, how does our vision of inclusivity play out in a church whose structures have historically and increasingly disenfranchised the many?

We believe our call to priesthood is rooted in our baptism, and is sustained by a reflective, contemplative and prayerful lifestyle which seeks to follow in prophetic obedience where the Spirit leads us. We believe we are called to model a new way of leading which strives to empower others, to work with others in our communities to mobilize resources to serve the disenfranchised, to release creativity, and to enable stable communities to form and thrive. Most importantly, we believe we ensure, by providing priests to a renewed and emerging Catholic church, that the subversive memory of Jesus is perpetuated through the proclamation of the Word and the celebration of the sacraments, especially the eucharist, which is the core of our commitment to unity with one another – the unity that binds us in the One Body of Christ.

Nourished by Word and Bread, we, together with the whole people of God, call forth the gifts of the community to do the work of justice, peace and integrity of life. As for the communities we serve, they are diverse; nonetheless they are all characterized by a new spirit of collaboration. What do the communities committed to renewal and led by Roman Catholic Womenpriests look like?

• They are imbued with a spirit of discernment, and they give voice to all community members
• They have a variety of persons functioning in a variety of ministries according to their preparation, their gifts, and their call by the community
• There are ordained and non-ordained persons serving on teams together collaboratively
• There is mutual respect and openness to the views of others
• Our communities practice contemplative listening
• There is collaboration and connection with other RCWP-led (and other progressive) Catholic communities
• There is meaningful ecumenical and interfaith outreach.
• There is an unbroken liturgical and theological link with Roman Catholic tradition
• There are active social justice ministries
• The model of diakonia or service is foundational for all who minister in the community
• There is a deeply eucharistic (i.e. thankful) spirituality, with mindfulness of God’s indwelling presence in and through the life of the community
• And there is a deeply catholic spirit that is ever aware of being part of a much greater whole in terms of church

And so, today, we are truly thankful to our loving and compassionate God, who has given us an abundance of new servant leaders to continue to grow this movement for a renewed priesthood and church, and to discern a new understanding of what it means to be catholic – of what it means to be One Body in all of our diversity.

Here is another excellent article on the ordination of the seven women to the Roman Catholic Priesthood in New Jersey on April 25,2015. This is by Mark Di Ionno in the Star Ledger. 

I also want to thank the over 50,000 viewers and mounting who have seen my blog on this thus far . Only a very small percent-50 or so, have written what is easily termed hate mail full of self righteousness and ignorance. For them we pray. We are thankful for the opportunity to shed light on the fact that Roman Catholic Women Priests are already here! Thanks be to God! 

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

Co-Pastor of The Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community

STAR LEDGER-Mark Di Ionno

The call to religious vocation came at different times in different ways. For some, it was a thunderclap, a great moment of clarity. For others, it was a building crescendo after a lifetime of being in harmony with their faith.

But the seven women ordained as Catholic priests last weekend in Morristown all agree on this: Their call to a religious pastoral life was genuinely sent by God and is as pure as any man’s.

“For me, it was when I received my first Holy Communion,” said Susan Schessler. “In that instant, I felt a very personal bond with Christ that was not breakable. Christ was there to me, and I was there to Christ. Like any relationship, we’ve had our ups and downs.”

Schessler’s communion was 68 year ago at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Orange. What followed was a life of religious service with the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell. She taught school, directed religious education and then immersed herself in helping children in the inner cities.

But she — like the other women ordained last weekend and their sister priests around the world — had a growing dissatisfaction with the “lack of inclusivity” and “ego domination” of the male hierarchy.

“I was tired of people telling God how to be God,” she said.

Two years ago, at age 73, she made the decision to seek priesthood and said “the freedom that came with that decision is the freest I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Inclusivity is a word the Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) organization is built upon. The movement began in Germany in 2002 with seven women who were ordained on the Danube River by an Argentine Catholic bishop who cut his ties to Rome and began a church he believed would be more progressive.

Those women chose ex-communication by Rome, which, simply put, is like leaving a club you were never allowed to join.

So they started their own branch of the club and there are now 208 women priests worldwide, following Saturday’s ordainment.

“We did not leave our religion. We love being Catholic; it is a faith of great hope and great promise,” said Andrea Johnson, a self-described “Jersey Girl” from Ventnor, who is bishop of the Eastern Region of the RCWP in Annapolis, Md.

Again, simply put, the women believe the Catholic faith is to the Vatican what democracy is to the U.S. government. One is a philosophy, the other is a hierarchical bureaucracy.

Johnson ordained the seven women at Morristown’s (Episcopalian) Church of the Redeemer. In her homily, she described the “mission of Roman Catholic Women Priests (as) standing firmly within Roman Catholic tradition, yet pushing the envelope and creating a safe and welcoming space for all.”

“We are obedient to the Holy Spirit and disobedient to unjust laws,” said Kathleen Gibbons Schuck, 59, a Summit native now living in Blue Bell, Pa.

Her moment of clarity came in 2012 after Mass one day. She was deeply involved in her local parish as a Eucharistic minister, Gospel reader, teacher and fundraiser, but the monsignor always greeted her husband first.

“My daughter (Ann, then 15) asked, ‘Why is that monsignor treats Daddy so differently than he treats you?’ ” Schuck said. “That was like the wake-up call. I remember in my own (church) upbringing that the women did the work and the men made the decisions. I thought it was time to stand up.”

The entrance hymn to the ceremony was “All Are Welcome,” as a procession of clergy accompanied the seven women through the ornate stone edifice and nave of the Gothic church. It’s interesting to note that the Church of the Redeemer started in 1852, breaking off from another Episcopal church in Morristown that was pro-slavery.

That progressive tradition is obviously still alive, as the church welcomed not only the women priests but a group of married male Catholic priests who also practice outside the reach of Rome.

One is Michael Corso, who was ordained in the Archdiocese of Newark in 1983, but left to marry. He is the pastor of Sophia Inclusive Catholic Community in Sparta. The church was founded by Mary Ann Schoettly, New Jersey’s first RCWP member who was ordained six years ago. Schoettly, a mother of three and a grandmother, died last July.

The ceremony followed the rituals of ordainment for male priests. The women lay on the church floor in “prostration,” a symbol of humility during the long Litany of Saints. In the most emotional moment of the ceremony, the congregation joined in the “laying of hands” on the women, a tradition that invokes the Holy Spirit. The women had their hands anointed with oil and received their vestments, chalices and patens. Then, with hands clasped together and held high, they were celebrated as new priests by the estimated 400 people in attendance who stood and cheered.

But the differences between Rome-scripted ordainment and the RCWP’s ceremony were apparent. One was the gender-neutral liturgy. The word Lord was absent. God was not exclusively called Father, but Creator God, Creator Spirit and Life-Giving Mother, Gentle Father. Christ’s disciples, a heavily male-oriented word, were described as friends. The prayer over the Eucharist is said by the whole church, meaning the congregation shares the power to bring the body and blood of Christ into their midst.

The women priests and other clergy also received Holy Communion last, not first, a RCWP tradition that speaks to a “leadership of servanthood” rather than “privilege,” as Johnson said in her homily.

Most important, the RCWP does not believe their priests are more godly than anyone else. In the Roman Catholic Church tradition, male priests are said to be ontologically changed by the Holy Spirit when they are ordained.

“I’m no more or less divine than I’ve always been,” said Schuck. “We believe the Holy Spirit is equally present in everyone.”

The women, and the men who support them, don’t see themselves as pioneers as much as the first standard-bearers of inevitable change.

“Most of these women were already (experienced) ministers; for them, this is a reality that already exists,” Corso said. “This is just the beginning of their acceptance.”

All the women hold various or multiple masters or doctoral degrees in education, health, social work and theology. Some came from the business world, like Schuck, who was a telecommunications executive; others, like Schessler, spent years in religious service. Now, they will serve in what they call “inclusive Eucharistic ministries” in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

“We bring an aspect of inclusiveness that people want,” Johnson said. “We are as capable, if not more capable, of doing the pastoral work our communities need.”

And like any social change, the old rules will seem archaic to future generations.
“I think when people look back in, say, 100 years, they’ll ask, ‘What was the big deal?’ ” Schuck said. “And really, what was the big deal?”

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger

There is a red- magenta flowered Bougainvillea tree (or bush) in front of our house. My neighbor planted it as a gift about five years ago. It was a small plant when it started and it took a long time to flower beyond a few blooms. With hope and patience, we cut and pruned it’s scraggily, long, thorny and uneven branches hoping for something beautiful to appear. We have the marks to prove that it did not like being pruned.  We first began to notice that at Christmas it bloomed beautifully and added to our Christmas joy. Then, by the fourth or fifth year it burst forth with blooms everywhere lasting all year.  It still needs occasional pruning, sometimes long asymmetric bloomless shoots dart forth. We cut them off and enjoy the abundant and magnificent color all year. The cut-off shoots wither and die quickly.

There are banana trees in our rear yard that also need pruning. When they are not cut properly no fruit is formed just big green leaves. Our friends from St. Lucia showed us how, when and where to cut them down or back. When pruned carefully clusters of bananas grow into maturity. This is nothing short of miraculous to one from the inner city of New York.

I remember climbing in the back yard grape vines of my Italian neighbors when I was a child. We were delighted when we found sweet edible grapes. Sometimes we bit into bitter sour grapes and we had no idea why some were sweet and some were sour and some had no fruit.

Jesus likened himself to the vine and his precious followers to branches of the vine. We are organically connected to Christ, one with Christ, as long as we practice what we have been taught-to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors-all of them-everywhere- as ourselves. On the Vine we are also organically connected to one another. The Epistle of First John (3:18-24) tells us that we cannot pay mere lip-service to love, we must live it, love is an action word. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said “My vocation is to love. Love is not words it is action”. I am so thankful for all of the volunteers and members who love and serve one another in our Good Shepherd church and for the other churches, individuals and groups that freely and generously give so that our people may be housed and fed, clothed and sheltered and receive the benefits of education and learning enrichment.

So to remain on the vine we must ask ourselves-what are we DOING to live love and justice?  What are we doing with and for the outcast of all types, the poor and the different, “the least of these our brothers and sisters?” What are we doing in the face of injustice toward people of difference-toward the LGBTQ community? Toward those with mental illness, mental challenges and AIDS and other horrible diseases? Toward those who experience licensed brutality of law authorities and to all of those who experience random violence from one another as well as from the Law? We all know about the death of Freddie Gray in Maryland and the response of some of the youth in the community. Rather than sit and condemn can we understand how it is to BE them and face police authority whether justly or unjustly apprehended. Here in SW Florida in Cape Coral, a young white man was unjustly apprehended and beaten badly by police authorities last year. There are protests here too. Here, as elsewhere, it is as much about class as race though the double whammy of both doubles the jeopardy of discrimination and pre-judging. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed when he allied himself with poor whites and others as well as blacks. Christ lives in the ghetto and in the hearts and hopes of all who are lowest income as well as the well to do. Where are we, the so-called followers of Christ? Have we followed him to where the rocks are flying and the guns are killing and the people are frightened?  Can we also understand how it is to BE law authority when random violence is directed at them for doing their very difficult jobs? Can we understand how it all has gone wrong-toward hate and not love. How lawlessness and violence are signs that love is dying on the vine.  Jesus is saying that if we do nothing but talk our faith we are not abiding in him, in his teaching, and we are bearing no fruit. We will become dead wood, dead branches, no longer connected to Love and Life.  Roger Karban once said-if we merely worship Christ and do not LIVE what Christ said and did we do not “get it”. And if we do not get it, our communities suffer and die as well.  Some die in conflagration. Some die in self-indulgence. Dying is dying-the question is how can the church be relevant to the death all around us if we too are dying on the vine?

To take it one step farther, the church itself is dying on the vine when it conveys lack of acceptance and injustice to any of our brothers and sisters in our communities and in our church.  To refuse anyone at the Table of Christ is unloving and unjust. To refuse anyone baptism or last rites, or burial in ‘hallowed ground’ is the opposite of Christ-like.  To refuse Holy Orders to anyone called by God and prepared is unloving and unjust. To attempt to cut ordained women and openly gay or married priests off from the sacrament of Holy Communion, use of faculties and Christian burial is vengeful, unloving and unjust.  It is also impossible as no one can undo our baptisms or our calls or sever us from the love of Christ. No one. We recall with Sunday’s reading from Acts (9:26-31) that the Apostle Paul was initially maligned and rejected by the disciples in Jerusalem and that Barnabas took charge and mediated for him, introducing him to the disciples. Today we are thankful that there are those like Barnabas who do this for women priests and others rejected by the church authorities.  So, it is not we who are ultimately cut off, nor have we cut ourselves off or died on the vine. It is the church itself that is being pruned by the God who loves it so that it can bear good fruit. Not the fruit of self righteous traditionalism, paternalism, or misogyny, or heterosexism, or class entitlement and greed but the true fruit of love, inclusion and connection to the Vine forever.

The Greek word for “prune” in the scriptures (kathairo) is also the word for “cleanse”.  Even as Jesus cleansed the Temple of cultic blood sacrifice, mercenary pursuits, excessive and unending legalisms, and hypocritical posturing, today Christ prunes the church of its adherence to traditions that exclude, vilify, and actually promote hate instead of love. For those who “get it” we are thankful to God. For those who respond with hateful vindictive words and ugly actions, we are praying for you.

This Sunday the Gospel text, John 15:1-8, is the seventh and final I AM statement of Jesus. Each statement reveals another unique and divine aspect of who Jesus is and how we are connected to him: Bread of life (Jn 6:35), Light (Jn8:12), door of the sheep (Jn 10:7,9), good shepherd (Jn:10-11,14), The Resurrection and the Life (Jn 11:25) the Way (Jn14:6) and finally the Vine (Jn15:1,5). In Aramaic this also allies Jesus, the Christ, with ‘true religion’.  Religion that is hateful and vengeful toward any of God’s people is not true. What is true is what is loving. What is true is living love.  This last claim and offering of himself to his followers as the Vine takes place shortly before he is betrayed by Judas and arrested. Jesus is assuring them and us that we are an organic part of him and of one another, and as we continue to follow/act on his words of love and justice we remain both connected and fruitful, come what may.

Thanks be to God!

With love and prayers,

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

Co-Pastor The Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community of Fort Myers