Musing

There are many things to be learned when school is out for the summer. I will figure out what those are later...

We are Presbyterians

Woman Priests

Courtesy of Gene Renner, on NPR's website.

"When you have an unjust law, sometimes it needs to be broken before it can be changed." Rev. Patti LaRosa, Catholic Womanpriest

Today NPR's All Things Considered reported on the latest ordination of Catholic Womanpriests. I have so much respect for the Catholic Womanpriest movement, and I am very glad the movement is getting some press. Back in 2002 a few women were secretly ordained in Germany by a Roman Catholic bishop, and the NPR article is reporting on the most recent ordination of Catholic Womanpriests (which happened in Maryland). Several books have been written by Womenpriests including Eucharistic Prayers for Inclusive Communities by Bridget Mary Meehan and Sheila Durkin Dierks. What saddens me most in this article is that the Womanpriests have lost relationships because people are afraid to openly support the women's ordination movement within the Roman Catholic Church. While I recognize the difficulties of the movement within Catholic doctrine, things will not change unless people are willing to work for the change. I do not know any Womenpriests personally, but as a Christian woman on the path to ordination I support them and hope one day to work with Womenpriest colleagues in my future ministries. 


For more information, check out their website www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
or buy the book Women Find A Way: The Movement and Stories of Roman Catholic Womenpriests

We are Presbyterians

So the awesome Bruce Reyes-Chow has broadcasted on his website that the We are Presbyterians project is calling for videos. 8 minute videos addressing a few questions, and they want as many as possible. I'll be making a video, and I encourage everyone else who's a Presbyterian to consider making one as well.

Vacation

I am on vacation for the next three weeks, so my posting will be irregular during this time.  I'm up in Minneapolis-St. Paul at my parents' new house. Not planning on doing much up here but am planning on sleeping in and watching bad TV.

The dogs are super happy to see me, but they're playing it cool.

Courage, Part 2

I have been challenged by a friend to think about courage in a different way. While this friend didn't give me a lot of direction, I thought about the different aspects of courage. I thought about the people I talked about in my last post on courage. I did my undergrad in history, and so a lot of times I focus on actions that make change because that's often what makes the history books. But when we're talking about everyday actions that can help or facilitate change there was one that stuck out to me.

Listening.

It's not a surprise that I'm drawn to listening as courage. I practice Non-Violent Communication which focuses on active listening skills. But I want to tell you about an event that happened this last semester which I think shows how listening is courageous.

One class I took this semester was team taught by an African-American female and a Caucasian-American male. During one Q and A session a student asked about how the male professor learns about other ways of interpreting the Bible. The professor said "I listen." He went on to talk about how he was aware of the cultural and societal advantages he has just based on his outward appearance. He said that he can't change many the -isms of our society (racism, sexism, hetero-sexism especially) overnight and he works towards the equality God made us with through listening. He said he gets to talk a lot, and that it is his responsibility to stop talking and actually listen to others. I was struck by his honesty and self-awareness. He made me think about the patterns in our society and how I contribute whether consciously or unconsciously.

It takes courage to listen when one is privileged to talk, and it takes courage to talk when one is demeaned into silence or expected to be silent. If everyone is speaking, no one will be heard. If everyone is listening, nothing will be heard. It seems like people are often pushed into action when no one is listening to their voice.  Think about it. Why did the colonies revolt against England? Taxation with representation, among other things, which translates to the government (those in power) wasn't listening to the people (those expected to be silent). But not all the silenced voices were heard in the 13 colonies, either. There are millions of voices who came from Africa and crossed in the Middle Passage that will never be heard. There are millions of voices of indigenous peoples that will never be heard. So even though the colonies rebelled and gained their freedom many in power continued to talk without listening. But when a balance is struck between listening and talking, I believe amazing things can happen without violence.

This doesn't resolve my complicated thinking about courage. Expect part 3.

Psalm 22

I am poured out like water,
   and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
   it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
   and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
   you lay me in the dust of death.
--Psalm 22:14-15

When people talk about Psalm 22 they don't normally get this far. We like to stop with the first verse ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) because we meditate on that verse during Lent and Good Friday. So it may sound odd that I'm bringing out this Psalm during Eastertide. I think the writer of Psalm 22 went to seminary, or the ancient equivalent. If the writer did not experience higher education, then s/he experienced the same emotions from another experience. The two verses above are what many of my classmates are feeling right now. The 'dust of death' may be a bit over dramatic, but what's seminary without a little drama? After the school year spent reading, writing essays, taking exams, and discussion some of us may be glad for a time when our tongue to stick to our jaw. We've spent the year pouring out ourselves into our studies and internships while balancing other commitments. In some ways, we're very dry. I see the exhaustion in my classmates' face. Many are moving to a new place on campus, many are beginning summer jobs in the next couple of weeks, many are relocating for a post-seminary job, and a few have decided to leave seminary early for various reasons.

I don't really have a point today. I just wanted to acknowledge what my friends and classmates are going through. I'm sure our professors have some similar feelings. This is the time to ask again for the gift of living water that we may never be thirsty again.