Homily: Ordination of Catherine Collins as Priest by Bridget Mary Meehan-Aug. 31, 2024

Homily: Ordination of Catherine Collins as Priest by Bridget Mary Meehan-Aug. 31, 2024

Today is the day God has made! We rejoice as we ordain Catherine Collins as a priest in a renewed priestly ministry in SF to serve God’s people in this vibrant community of faith! Amen! Alleluia! Cathy is walking in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles.

  According to all four gospels, Mary Magdalene and other women are present at the cross and tomb. In John’s narrative, the Risen Christ calls her by name, Mary, embraces her and sends her forth to tell the good news of Easter glory. She goes forth in the power of the Spirit to proclaim the core belief of Christianity that Christ’s new life and living presence is with them. 

Today, the Risen Christ calls Cathy by name, and sends her forth to proclaim the good news of God’s infinite, boundless love that all are welcome, all are equal and all are invited to celebrate sacraments in a Spirit inspired community of faith with Mary of Pentecost!

In the Gospel of Mary, the only gospel written by a woman, Mary Magdalene shares with the male disciples the life-giving revelations she has received from the Savior.

Scholars believe that this ancient text was written around the same time as the Gospel of John during a time in which various Christian communities believed women were as worthy and capable as men to teach and lead the church. All three versions of the Coptic and Greek manuscripts are missing pages in the beginning and in the middle. Don’t you wonder who ripped out the missing pages! 

The Gospels of Thomas and Philip- sacred texts, discovered in the Egyptian desert in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, list Mary Magdalene, Mary his mother and Mary his sister as always accompanying Jesus in his ministry.  (Meggan Watterson Mary Magdalene Revealed, p. 46)  

In the Gospel of Mary, we encounter Mary Magdalene as a courageous leader and insightful teacher in the early Jesus movement. 

 Contrary to papal teaching in recent decades, Jesus did not choose only men as apostles or disciples. 

Jesus chose Mary Magdalene to proclaim important teachings that are at the heart of living the Gospel in every age.

Jesus’ legacy is Mary’s legacy and her legacy is our legacy. 

This good news should be included in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and taught in all seminaries!

 

In chapter 10:11-13, the Gospel of Mary states; “We should clothe ourselves with the perfect human, acquire it for ourselves as he commanded us, and announce the good news.” This text reminds us of Jesus’s teachings that:  

 

We are all beloved of God, called to be fully human and fully divine. There is no hierarchy in the circle of love, all are connected, equal and loved. Each of us is created in God’s image and that this beautiful image is reflected in our humanity and divinity.

This means that we can see God’s face in us, in everyone and in all creation. The truth is that male, female, intersex, transexual, nonbinary is made equally in the divine image.

In Mary Magdalene Revealed, Meggan Watterson writes: “We have nothing to be ashamed of or to ever have to hide when it comes to whom we love. Who we love is not determined by our body or theirs, nor their sex or their gender, but the soul that expresses itself through it all.” (p.215)

In Mary’s gospel, the Savior said: “There is no such thing as sin…” (Gospel of Mary 3:3)

He cautioned about making unnecessary laws. “Go then, preach the good news about the Realm. Do not lay down any rule beyond what I determined for you, nor promulgate law like the lawgiver, or else you might be dominated by it.”(Gospel of Mary 4:8-10)

So why you- may wonder- does the RC Church need 1752 laws in the 1983 Code of Canon Law?

Roman Catholic Women Priests challenge one of these laws. We disobey Canon law #1024 because it is an unjust law that prohibits ordination of women. We do so as a prophetic act of obedience to the Spirit to embody the liberating Spirit at work in the ordained ministry of women and all genders. In our inclusive communities, we follow Jesus’ example of Gospel hospitality by welcoming all to participate in and receive all sacraments and by circular leadership in communities of baptized equals. 

In the Gospel of Mary, we see the tension that arises from Peter’s words that still echo in patriarchal power and domination over women in the Church today: 

Levi said to Peter, “Peter you are always ready to give way to your perpetual inclination to anger. And even now you are doing exactly that by questioning the woman as though you’re her adversary.” (Gospel of Mary 10:7-8)

A church that subjugates women with their teachings and structures contributes to women’s abuse and subjugation in the world.  In this, the Church violates its own teachings from the Second Vatican Council which states: “All forms of social or cultural discrimination in basic personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language or religion must be curbed or eradicated as in incompatible with God’s designs.” (Gaudium et Spes 29) We believe that all justice issues are interconnected and thus, support all human rights initiatives. 

The good news we need to hear today is that there can be no spiritual authority outside of us that is greater than the voice of Spirit within us. This voice within us is a voice of love that affirms our moral agency and primacy of conscience in every decision we make.  

Pope Francis has called the Synod on Synodality to engage in a sacred listening process to hear all voices including those on the margins. We hope that Pope Francis will soon invite women priests to an open dialogue. If Pope Francis lifted the penalty of excommunication against Roman Catholic Women Priests, this action would send a powerful message that in a Synodal Church -no one is left out -and, that we are one Body in Christ, and a Church for everyone.

In the spirit of Mary Magdalene, we joyfully claim our spiritual authority as disciples and equals to ordain Cathy Collins a priest today!