A Time for Positive Changes in the Catholic Church
OK, I know a lot of people are going to cringe at what I am about to say but here it goes....it's time for positive and peaceful changes in our Catholic Church! There it is. Over the past several weeks we have been hearing gospel stories which involve Mary Magdalene. Here is what we know about Mary in a brief synopsis. First, she was a follower of Christ, she was one of only 3 people who stood at the foot of the cross during Jesus' crucifixion, she was the first person to arrive at the tomb on Easter Sunday, she was the first person whom Jesus appeared to after the resurrection, and she was commissioned to "go and tell" her brothers what she has seen after her encounter with the risen Christ.
We can not over look her importance in the life of the church. She was the first person chosen to bare witness to the resurrection and the first evangelist. WOW. It's amazing since you must also consider the position women held (or didn't hold) in society over 2000 years ago. Jesus was sending a message. He was telling them (and us) that women were not to be looked at as less than human beings. In fact, there are MANY women in the New Testament that remarkably engaged in great conversations with Jesus, and ultimately great conversion. Some of these vital stories and women were; Mary the Mother of Jesus, Martha, Mary, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultry, and the woman who washed His feet with her hair. In fact, these women were used as examples of obedience, loyalty, friendship, and conversion. Many men (other than the apostles) were not as good examples of the above. Take for instance, Pilot, Harod, the rich man who could not sell his material possessions. I am not saying women are MORE important in the Bible, after all Jesus is a man, by they were not LESS important either.
When we were kids, my oldest sister was notorious for telling on the other kids. If she saw you do anything that my mom or dad would not be happy about she would most certainly tell on you! In our church right now I see so many things that make me sad, so many articles and stories that cast my church in such a dark and negative light. It makes me so sad and even angry. I have to wonder, maybe it got this way because there were no big sisters to tell to mom and dad. I have to believe that if women were present and respected in the church 30 - 40 years ago, there is no way these atrocities would have continued. Where was the presence of a good women?
Maybe now the church will not just give women "jobs" within the church but actually give them some "authority" as well. Too many good and passionate women are looked at like agitators or problem makers. The funny thing is, so was Jesus! The Pharisees thought he taught "perverted" doctrine, but they misread Jesus' passion for a chance at positive change. Let's not be modern day Pharisees and judge our sisters (and brothers) by our standards. Let us try to see the women in our lives, and especially in our church, as leaders and "mothers" to our priests, helping them to stay focused on Christ and nudging them to stay on track for their own good, as I am sure my sister would have said it was, and even telling "mom and dad" when necessary. Accountability is everything moving forward. If we want to build a positive image for the Catholic Church moving forward, we must be held accountable to everyone, not just brother priests. Look to your mother for guidance. She will neither let you get away with anything, or let you get hurt!
We can not over look her importance in the life of the church. She was the first person chosen to bare witness to the resurrection and the first evangelist. WOW. It's amazing since you must also consider the position women held (or didn't hold) in society over 2000 years ago. Jesus was sending a message. He was telling them (and us) that women were not to be looked at as less than human beings. In fact, there are MANY women in the New Testament that remarkably engaged in great conversations with Jesus, and ultimately great conversion. Some of these vital stories and women were; Mary the Mother of Jesus, Martha, Mary, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultry, and the woman who washed His feet with her hair. In fact, these women were used as examples of obedience, loyalty, friendship, and conversion. Many men (other than the apostles) were not as good examples of the above. Take for instance, Pilot, Harod, the rich man who could not sell his material possessions. I am not saying women are MORE important in the Bible, after all Jesus is a man, by they were not LESS important either.
When we were kids, my oldest sister was notorious for telling on the other kids. If she saw you do anything that my mom or dad would not be happy about she would most certainly tell on you! In our church right now I see so many things that make me sad, so many articles and stories that cast my church in such a dark and negative light. It makes me so sad and even angry. I have to wonder, maybe it got this way because there were no big sisters to tell to mom and dad. I have to believe that if women were present and respected in the church 30 - 40 years ago, there is no way these atrocities would have continued. Where was the presence of a good women?
Maybe now the church will not just give women "jobs" within the church but actually give them some "authority" as well. Too many good and passionate women are looked at like agitators or problem makers. The funny thing is, so was Jesus! The Pharisees thought he taught "perverted" doctrine, but they misread Jesus' passion for a chance at positive change. Let's not be modern day Pharisees and judge our sisters (and brothers) by our standards. Let us try to see the women in our lives, and especially in our church, as leaders and "mothers" to our priests, helping them to stay focused on Christ and nudging them to stay on track for their own good, as I am sure my sister would have said it was, and even telling "mom and dad" when necessary. Accountability is everything moving forward. If we want to build a positive image for the Catholic Church moving forward, we must be held accountable to everyone, not just brother priests. Look to your mother for guidance. She will neither let you get away with anything, or let you get hurt!
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Amazing post! You are gifted!!
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