News from Sophia Christi

Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest, author and professor of theology at Piedmont College in Georgia. In her book, The Preaching Life, she tells of a time she was preparing a sermon on the Good Samaritan. As she was driving to work she saw a car on the side of the road. The hood was up and a tall black man stepped into the roadway as her car got closer. He held up a pair of jumper cables and looked directly at her. Her mind leapt from one thought to another in a matter of seconds, returning again and again to the idea that the man needed help. But as a woman alone in a car she made the hurried decision to pass him by, hoping the next person would stop to help. So she left the man standing in the road and continued driving to her office to, ironically, finish her sermon on the Good Samaritan.

Taylor talks about God not caring much what we ‘think’ or even what we ‘believe,’ but caring a lot about what we ‘do’ and ‘don’t do.’ If our good thoughts and positive beliefs don’t translate into merciful actions they have little value in this very physical world. Changing the world isn’t only about changing opinions and attitudes; it’s about what we actually ‘do’ based on what we know in our heart. (more…)

Joan Chittister talks about Holy Wisdom in her book “In Search of Belief.” Scripture, she says, describes “the feminine aspect of the Godhead,” using words such as “ruah, the breath of God, the mighty wind that hovered over the empty waters at the beginning of life in the process of Creation. [These are] all feminine images of a birthing, mothering God, of pregnant waiting and waters breaking and life coming forth. This Spirit, this living Wisdom that is God,” she says, “lifts us above ourselves, tunes [like a tuning fork] to the voice of the Creator around us and within us, comes upon us with gentle force or terrible consciousness, and cares for life, day in, day out, unrelenting in its urge for wholeness. The Spirit prods us, proves us, brings life in us to creative fullness… And yet,” she says, “having defined the Spirit as Wisdom, as ruah, as ‘she,’ this feminine force of life as feminine is promptly submerged, totally forgotten, completely ignored. The masculine images reappear, the genderless God is gendered, and the fullness of God, the fullness of life, is denied in the Church. The Church itself stays half whole.”

I’m reminded of her words as I reflect on the latest from Pope Francis. When the 900 or so leaders of congregations of women religious worldwide met with him this past Thursday they told him that women had served as deacons in the early church, so “why not construct an official commission that might study the question,” they asked? His response–“Yes, it would do good for the church to clarify this point. I will do something like this.”

That answer sent ripples of hope through certain segments of the church, but also immediate disclaimers from high-ranking officials saying this wasn’t a move toward ordaining women in any capacity. Federico Lombardi, Director of the Holy See’s Press office, was quick to rein in hope by stressing that Francis “did not say he intends to introduce the ordination of female deacons!” In fact, in his conversation with the Superiors of women’s congregations Francis made clear his understanding that women deacons in the early Church weren’t ordained. There is, however, ample evidence that they actually were ordained. There are Rites for the ordination of women deacons on a par with those of men dating back at least to the 6^th and up through the 11^th centuries in the Latin Rite, and both earlier and later in the East. The resistance to women deacons, let alone women priests, is less a theological conundrum than another example of what Francis himself recently termed male chauvinism within the hierarchical men’s club of the Church. (more…)

We are celebrating Mother’s Day and the Ascension today. These two “feast days,” if you will, fit nicely together, especially if you imagine Jesus returning home to the Source of life—his own Divine Mother. Readings for Ascension also offer a rare opportunity to hear the end of volume one and the beginning of volume 2 of Luke’s writings all in one liturgy. This may not seem like a big deal but this two-volume set has an important role in understanding who we are and what we are about as a people.

In Acts Luke has given us a sequel to the Gospel. He shows how Jesus passed his ministry to the disciples and how they were infused with the Spirit so they could carry on his work of loving and healing God’s people. Without Luke the link between Jesus’ death/resurrection/ascension and the early church would not be so clear, and the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit among those first disciples would be much more obscure.

Luke wrote the Gospel that bears his name as a chronicle of Jesus’ life and ministry. It was his attempt to put it all into some kind of logical, orderly form that anyone could understand. He addressed it to a person named Theophilus—a person we know nothing about—who might have been a patron, a benefactor or even a high-ranking official. His Gospel prepares the way for what happens in Acts, volume 2 of his 2-volume set. This second volume is also addressed to Theophilus. Together these two books comprise over one-fourth of the New Testament and establish a theological link between Jesus’ ministry and the ministry of his disciples. The Holy Spirit is that link. She is the bridge across the waters connecting Jesus’ life and mission to the physical world he has left behind. She breathes that life into the disciples, inspires and guides their ministry as they carry out the work Jesus left them to complete. (more…)

For those wondering what Pope Francis would do with all the conflicting ideas that emerged from his two Synods on the Family, the answer came Friday with publication of his 263 page Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, “The Joy of Love”. Reading through the document I see Francis continuing to admonish bishops and priests to end all law-bound judgments and replace them with understanding, empathy and mercy. His tone is pastoral throughout, as we would expect.

He calls for “a healthy dose of self-criticism” within the governing structures of the church. He says “we [church pastors]…find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who…are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations. We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them. I imagine we can all celebrate that statement!

In the second chapter he says “we rejoice to see old forms of discrimination [against women] disappear, and within families there is a growing reciprocity. We must see in the women’s movement the working of the Spirit for a clearer recognition of the dignity and rights of women,” he says. He also condemns the claim that the women’s movement is the cause of many of today’s problems. He calls it “false, untrue, a form of male chauvinism.”  Ah, yes! Another statement worth celebrating!

There is actually much good in this document, especially if you follow the heterosexual norm or see the world through that lens, or have less investment in women’s issues generally. But there are also statements within this long exhortation that will cause many of us to feel discouraged. For example, Francis’ vision of family does not include LGBT families. He quotes the final report from the 2015 Synod saying “there are absolutely no grounds for considering [gay] unions to be in any way similar…to God’s plan for marriage and family.” Those of us who have been waiting for affirming and inclusive statements from the Vatican, who have hoped for decisive words from Francis that welcome and include LGBT voices and insights—we will have to wait.   There is no mention of the lived experiences of LGBT couples and individuals in this document. Francis still views women, gender and family in completely traditional ways.

For all its merciful improvement in tone, the document falls short of what many of us had hoped for due to a tragic absence of women’s voices and experiences, and the likewise notable absence of cross-cultural LGBT experiences of loving committed relationships that sustain family life against all odds. And the voices of actual families themselves are nowhere to be found.

The man at the top is still one of the high priests of the Sanhedrin. And though he is a man of prayer, a man open to the Spirit and demonstrating tremendous courage in the face of entrenched opposition from many of the other high priests, a man we can admire for his active engagement in many social justice issues, he still lives within a closed system.  And that closed system ignores advances in theology, anthropology and psychology that could and should inform the development of doctrine, and encourage the growth of a more respectful and inclusive church and world. (more…)

It is still dark when Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb. While the darkness of Jesus’ agony still lingers in her mind, replaying horrific images she can’t shake, she comes. She probably hasn’t slept. She’s in shock. She arrives at the tomb enveloped in her own inner darkness and finds the stone moved away from the entrance. She doesn’t look inside but immediately runs to tell Peter and the other Disciple that “they took our Teacher from the tomb and we don’t know where they’ve put him.” Peter and the other disciple take off running. When they arrive Peter goes in first. He looks around, sees the burial cloths with the cloth that covered Jesus’ face folded up in a separate place. But it’s the other disciple, not Peter, who recognizes in that separate and folded face cloth, a sign. The word John uses for ‘face cloth’ is the same word used for the ‘face cloth’ Moses laid aside when he ascended Mt. Sinai to speak with God.

In that earlier story, Moses’ face was so bright when he came down the mountain that people couldn’t look at him, so he covered his face to talk to the people. His face was uncovered when he was with God. When John saw the face cloth folded and separated from the other linens, he got it. Jesus was with God. It wasn’t just the body that was missing; Jesus was gone. There was nothing to do but to go back home. Interestingly the two say nothing to Mary who continues to stand outside the tomb, crying. Later in the text we learn the disciples retreated behind locked doors because they feared the Jewish authorities.

Mary, however, doesn’t leave, cannot leave. Her love for Jesus roots her to the ground and she kneels to look inside the tomb. She sees the two angels, but she is in such a state of abject sorrow she isn’t even aware that angels are speaking to her. Her focus is on retrieving Jesus’ body. Her grief is blinding and the darkness is all-pervasive. She is facing toward the past, toward what lies behind. She is focused on his physical body, probably assuming his mission has come to an end. (more…)

International Women’s Day was this past Tuesday, which I imagine most of you know. And March is Women’s History Month. In that context it seems particularly fitting that today’s Gospel features a woman publicly shamed in a culture that views women as property rather than as persons. Women’s history, past and present, is filled with gender-specific violence done as a direct result of women being classified as ‘property.’ In South Sudan, for example, a NY Times correspondent reports that army-affiliated militias are raping and abducting women and girls as PAYMENT for their work! In his article, [“Mass Rape a Common Weapon in South Sudan Conflict”] Nick Cumming-Bruce writes that these militias have an agreement with government forces allowing them to do what they want and take what they want. They “have stolen cattle and other property,” under this agreement, he says, in addition to abducting the women. Clearly the women and girls are seen merely as another possession that is theirs for the taking.

The woman standing before Jesus in today’s Gospel is also considered property. She is a pawn in the religious power game carried out by the scribes and Pharisees against Jesus. She has no meaning to them other than as a lever for the trap they’ve set. She is a non-person in their world. How often have we seen this theme play out in the political discourse of our day? How often have we watched our church officials point fingers at victims of abuse while acting as though they themselves are guiltless? More importantly, how often have we judged someone else while being unable or unwilling to admit our own mistakes, even to ourselves? Have we ever demeaned someone else, even subtly, in a play for greater influence or value in the eyes of others? And as our own political system devolves into a megaphone of bigotry, depersonalizing others as a proposed step toward power, we can see the result of this ugly path writ large on TV screens across America.  (more…)

The son of a friend of mine attempted suicide a week ago Wednesday.  It is a miracle that he is alive today.  Faith has helped me see God’s presence in the details surrounding his being found, just in time, to save his life. The young man had an addiction to pain medication no one knew about.  A prescription for 100 of these capsules had been filled on Monday, just two days before he was found slumped over the wheel of his car.  The bottle lay empty by his feet when a grounds keeper found him in an isolated park.

This past week has been an excruciating journey for the boy, but even more so for his traumatized mother.  She has been fully conscious and aware of the moment-to- moment process of opiate withdrawal and the slow, painstaking recovery—if we can even use the word ‘recovery’ at this point.  As I have walked this agonizing road with my friend through countless decisions she’s had to make, supporting by listening while being otherwise helpless, I have also been in the process of preparing the liturgies for today and for our retreat next weekend. There are many experiences in life that in some way mirror the transformative challenge offered in and through the season of Lent.  My friend’s journey with her son this week has brought that home to me in a new and personal way. (more…)

The people were filled with expectation. They could feel in their bones that something extraordinary was about to happen. They were going to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, with the Divine Breath itself, and with a deep, fierce Love. With eager anticipation, one by one, they walked into the river to be baptized by John. When all were baptized, heaven opened and the Spirit rained on all those assembled, soaking them in Love. And each of them heard a voice from out of nowhere saying in a most intimate and tender way, “you are my Beloved, my chosen one; you are my joy and my delight.”

You might argue that only Jesus heard these words, that only Jesus experienced the descent of the Holy Spirit as he was praying. And, according to the Gospel we just read you would be right. But I believe the Gospel mirrors our life and invites us to see ourselves reflected in the story of Jesus. His story is our story; his concerns our concerns. How he handles his life rests on those two gifts made explicit at his baptism.  They are deep and abiding Wisdom and Love.

All of us have these gifts. They are embedded in our soul’s DNA. They can be, and often are, obscured by life’s residue of self-enhancing and self-protective choices that are unwise and unloving, but still active.Jesus’ Baptism experience washed away that residue of temptation to worldly power and status he faced in the desert, and it allowed him to close the door forever on any and all ego driven ambition. He never succumbed to such materialistic attractions, but his desert experience gives evidence of his humanity and tells us that he, too, faced temptations and overcame them.

He emerged from the waters of baptism cleansed of those drives and soaked in love. Then he heard what all of us are meant to hear: “you are my beloved, my joy and my delight.” Those words and that experience empowered him to live from that place of deep Wisdom and unconditional love in everything he did throughout his life. Baptism is meant to do the same for us. (more…)