Women of faith tell some of the best stories.
I discovered that for myself on Friday, when I took part in a nationwide Listening Session sponsored by Discerning Deacons. What struck me most is how women of faith never seem to give up. They manage to find a way even when, seemingly, there is no way.
It’s happening today. I heard some really cool testimonies along those lines during our Zoom time together. And if I meditate on the lives of the holy women we meet in scripture, I come to realize it’s been happening for a very long time: Hagar. Judith. Hannah. Sarai. Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary of Magdala. Phoebe.
Women of faith tend to make things happen, even when the odds are stacked against them. They pitch tents that are wide enough to include their powerless neighbors. They see – and help – weaklings who really need help, those who can’t otherwise make it on their own. They find ways to work around rules and structures and systems that perpetuate injustice.
I heard stories like that on Friday, and it did my heart good to hear them. Especially since I live in what I consider to be a Synodal Desert. The global church got the synodal process started several years ago, but it caused barely a ripple in the archdiocese where I live. Here, we were a lot more focused on closing down parishes in the 2021-2024 timeframe … than we were on embracing the global church’s invitation to “communion | participation | mission”.
Given that recent experience, I was astonished to learn that the synodal process continues today. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s women of faith who are making synodal things happen in the local church, and across the United States. They’re finding a way, even as many (male) church leaders look the other way.
You, too, can be part of this process if you are so inclined. There are several additional Listening Sessions planned in the coming weeks – and at the end of these conversations, a report will be generated and shared with the Vatican Synod Office. So even if you live in a Synodal Desert, you now have a way to add your voice … and support the emergence of a synodal church.
Here’s where to register for the upcoming two-hour sessions:
I think you’ll be blessed by the experience!
Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.
IHS
