The Holy Spirit compels me to ask that all of you understand that men do not have the decision-making authority over women, anything about women, including the functions of their body…including their decisions to be ordained as priests.
Men have the responsibility to understand their own boundaries, where they end, and women begin. Because men have claimed all the decision-making authority to be theirs alone, in society as well as the church, the men of the church need to model how to make space for women to lead alongside of them. We have a society that is set up to serve only how men are in the world without consideration to women. And everywhere men make slaves out of women due to the functions of their bodies. This is forced upon women by violence of body and mind. Most women comply and conform out of safety and the “not knowing” of how rich of heart we all would be if truly treated as an equal partner. In this respect, women’s experience of compliance, is still considered “forced.” It is similar to the concept of statutory rape. Statutory rape in the United States means that even though a young woman gives her consent to sex, it is seen as coerced. It is seen as a rape as she does not legally have the right to make her own choices due to her age, she is considered a child. This coercive “yes” is the original meaning of “the fall.” (Genesis 6:1-2) “The Fall of the Angels” is the true story of “The Fall” that has been obscured over time. “The Fall” is not Eve taking a bite from the apple of wisdom. Eve bites the apple and discovers the knowledge to see the inequity. We need to stop demonizing Eve in a false understanding about what these stories are truly about and see how these stories inform us about the world that we live in.
The story of the fall of the angels is the reason why the earth is in an unequal state. Jesus clearly states “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ (Mark 10:6). He goes on to talk about “a marriage” and this is what we need our church leadership to understand. That the all of the men, including themselves, are part of a marriage with all of the women. Jesus doesn’t say that the men make all the decisions. Jesus doesn’t say the the men who are ordained are “special” because Jesus doesn’t ordain anyone. What Jesus tells us all to do is go forward and spread the good news.
Yet I digress, it is imperative that Frances state, in the role of the Pope and Holy See, that he has no authority to ordain women AND that he must accept the authority that women claim, to assume the role of priest as defined in our society today and as yet to be defined. Pope Frances and all the “male leadership” at every level, including those men who assume control in their families, need to make space for women. Men have no authority to exclude women, by excommunication or other means, who stand up for their God-given right to have a voice, a say in their lives and to be considered an equal authority. Women are not children, yet we are treated as such.
Excommunication of a woman to claim her authority as a priest or even in a marriage is unholy. Frances and the church must make a place for us to perform authoritative roles to include the role of “priest” in our society today as it moves through us, women. The church must not diminish the women’s role or the women’s role of priest as “being lesser than” or as in stating “not the same.” It’s an addition, it’s expansive.
Women are discovering new ways of what cooperative leadership looks like, these ways need to be known and unfolded in the world. By consistently denying us the opportunity to lead in these new ways we are impeding peace from emerging in our world. “Take my lead” has a whole new meaning when women are involved.
The time is now.
May peace be with you all.
So much love to you,
Jill
