Twelve women ordained in Pittsburgh on riverboat

What options are there for "working to change" when discussion of the subject matter is removed from the table by "Church Law"?

I think Joan Chittister's recent column on the stoning of 17-year-old Dua Khalil Aswad and Joan's questions about relevant "stonings" in our own (church) culture may have something to do with quiescence regarding this topic.

The Rev. Dr. E. McCoy

"All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear..." (Romans 8:14-15)

Kate, as someone who entered the cafe later than this thread started, I've read through much of it now as you rejoin us. I think that it is now really hard to keep up with all the threads on here. I know I don't try anymore, because it is all too much. But the conversation on women in the church has continued on other threads on here, and actually this one got lots of hits! I gather you have come back to the catholics after a stay with the episcopalians. I figure if there were no episcopalians, we'd have to invent them. and tend to think of them as the experimental wing of the church with women as priests to keep one's hopes up. we're just a generation stuck in some of the middle years, laying the groundwork for women later on, who can at least take forays into episcopal churches to see the future. Anyhow, welcome back.

Hello, AnnieO

Nice to hear from you. And nice to hear that it's not all apathy that keeps people off this thread.

I'm not sure the degree to which the Anglicans affected my feminist views. Somewhat, certainly. But what effected me even more was developing a more serious prayer life and getting to know Jesus. I find it hard to believe that the Jesus I talk to every morning meant to institutionalize gender discrimination. It just doesn't seem congruent. Then there are the stories in the gospels: the healing of the woman with the hemmorage; the woman at the well; etc. It just doesn't fit.

So, I flail away as best I can. And I talk to Jesus, which makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks for your kind words.

Kate

Hi Kate,

I don't believe for a moment that Jesus meant to institutionalise gender "discrimination" (in the wrong sense) either. But nor did Jesus mean to treat men and women as though there were no real differences between them either (e.g. why just men in the Twelve Apostles).

The Jesus I talk to every day is kind and fair, but also brutally honest. This is the same Jesus who looked with tears in His eyes as the Rich Young Man walked away because he found Christ's demands a little too much. This is also the same Jesus who asked his Apostles whether they wanted to walk away because His Teaching on the Eucharist (Jn 6) was "too difficult".

Prayers and regards,

Kensy

Perhaps, with all the gender differences you see as critical to religion, Jesus does speak to women differently than to you, in which case you are in such a harsher place. Jesus so clearly loved and empowered women to see themselves outside the cultural box they were in that many of us cannot help but hear his call to us.

Glad you are back. I was thinking of people we hadn't heard from in awhile just the other day--you, Bob Glavey, MollyJ, and others I'm forgetting now when in a rush of my own--and hoping that you hadn't disappeared. Will read through this more when I have time, but hello again.

Welcome back!