What Were They

Thinking?

     The strongest woman in history must have been the Virgin Mary. Can you imagine keeping her peace when people first mocked her pregnancy, then strung up her son? Can you imagine how she felt and lived on? She was mocked and derided, she was the mother of what they strung up like a criminal and watched. Can you imagine what that felt like--being the mother of a reputed criminal then watching as they kill him off as the supposed baddest actor in the country?  Imagine suffering the injustice knowing that they were totally wrong. Couldn't be more wrong. Couldn't be more evil in destroying pure goodness.

     Do you recall what happened on Pentacost? Flames of Fire came down on everyone present. EVERYONE. Not just men. Not just white men over 70. EVERYONE started talking in different languages and EVERYONE understood what was spoken. That was clear witness to the fact that Jesus wants EVERYONE to know him, EVERYONE to understand what he came to do, EVERYONE to love him and each other and EVERYONE to be part of his kingdom. Not just men. Not just white men over 70.
Not just the guys who wear black cassocks or white monk robes.  EVERYONE. The Spirit of the Living Lord is accessible to EVERYONE who is open to it.


   This church witnessed this year a wierd preoccupation and persecution against women nuns that no one in America really appreciates, except maybe white men over 70.  Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with old age- sometimes the only thing that comes with old age is arthritis, baldness, dementia and missing teeth.

   This church witnessed this year a wierd campaign of litigation against a government elected by the majority of catholics in the country because the platform stood more for what they understand the Holy Spirit to be about in America in the name of a completely overused and ill understood term "Freedom."

   This year the church took on governments they thought were too secular because they loved gays equally and thought the best interest of children was found in giving them to adults in loving families rather than institutions or subject to abortion.

   This church witnessed this year the flagellation of a priest who served loyally his order for 40 years being humiliatingly excommunicated because he stood by women who wanted to be priests. I don't have a dog in that fight and I don't care if women are catholic priests or not. Women Presbyterian ministers have been known to be quite effective evangelists. But I do care about the abysmal treatment and deliberate humiliation of any priest by snotty little Dominican theologians because they stand with women.

   And if you think that white men over 70 are all infallible- just look at what Roger Mahoney of LA got away with and continues to get away with. This year witnessed the listing in LA of all the very dirty deeds by priests there that went on for decades.

     Grace is incompatible with snotty little reprisals. Grace is not seen in expelling people from ministries, or participating in the life of the Spirit.

    The Mother church of the strongest woman in history needs to wake up and renew itself not with the old wine skins of oppression, derision, reprisals mysogeny and 'discipline' but with a bigger vision of LOVE, which is as John the Apostle advised, God.  God is Love. Petty snottiness, devils of doubt and suspicion masqued as litigation risk management are not from God and have no place in His Church.

    The greatest sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and quenching it must come close.

If this Pope cannot embrace the fullness of the Spirit or Love all His children hiding behind Dominican DeNoias petty penalties and persecutions (are those people just sick?) then he needs to resign so the Holy Spirit can clean house. How can Jesus come in to a place he can't feel at home in?

  Maria Shriver on Facebook said that she believes the church needs to incorporate more women into the leadership - not the illusory token leadership- the real leadership. I agree. Start with making some families where women are in them. Start by letting priests have wives and their own children as they already do if they are episcopalians who switched and entered after marriage.

    The thred of what is considered holy in political life is not consistent with Grace or the Gospel. Some of the blogging of archdiocene PR priests is head scratchingly stupid.

     The church needs a Vatican III and serious fundamental reform. Before it kills off or drives out the best of their fans--or at least destroys their Faith in Church.