Am I a feminist? Perhaps!

A Reflection on The Blessed Virgin Mary

“Mary” by Tim Okamura

See what you think of this...some of you may find it a bit graphic...

"Sometimes I Wonder"  by Kaitlin Hardy Shetler

Sometimes I wonder

if Mary breastfed Jesus.

if she cried out when he bit her

or if she sobbed when he would not latch.

and sometimes I wonder

if this is all too vulgar

to ask in a church

full of men

without milk stains on their shirts

or coconut oil on their breasts

preaching from pulpits off limits to the Mother of God.

but then I think of feeding Jesus,

birthing Jesus,

the expulsion of blood

and smell of sweat,

the salt of a mother’s tears

onto the soft head of the Salt of the Earth,

feeling lonely

and tired

hungry

annoyed

overwhelmed

loving

and i think,

if the vulgarity of birth is not

honestly preached

by men who carry power but not burden,

who carry privilege but not labor,

who carry authority but not submission,

then it should not be preached at all.

because the real scandal of the Birth of God

lies in the cracked nipples of a

14 year old

and not in the sermons of ministers

who say women

are too delicate

to lead.

I have been told I am a feminist...if I am, I’m sure I’m not a very good one. There are those who say men cannot be feminists anyway, and maybe it is so. We’ll set that aside...

What I do know is that women’s role in the church has been undervalued, under-represented, side-lined and even suppressed for two thousand years. 

Times are changing, but only just. The CofE has ordained women as priests for 25 years, but there are still many, mainly traditionalist men, despite seeing the huge ministry offered by women, quite frankly the salvation of the CofE in these decades, who still militantly oppose women priests and bishops. 

Only this week on the appointment of a very eminently qualified Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqania, black multinational woman, I saw a post addressed to the ABC that said, “Dear Fr,” that form of address speaks volumes, “Dear Fr ...I think she is an extraordinary woman however I must ask you when will the day come when the CofE takes seriously in earnest its commitment to the five guiding principles and appoints without hesitation traditionalist Anglicans to diocesan roles in that spirit of respect and risky love we hear so much about?”

I think the last sentence is confusing – traditionalists never seem to risk anything. It’s possibly an ironic comment – an attempt at humour to disguise the venom in the attack. The simple underlying message is, “Yes she’s well qualified, but not to be a priest, let alone a bishop”. Perhaps the male traditionalist Anglicans feel threatened by such an exciting appointment. I don’t. 

What saddens me is that the very branch of the church, the Anglican Church, that reveres Saint Mary so much, is the very wing that opposes women in powerful ministerial positions, often, as I am told, Mrs Thatcher said of some of her female political colleagues, suggesting they are “too emotional to carry responsible roles and should stick to making the tea”.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was an extraordinary woman, rather a girl!  Of course, to answer the question in the poem, she breastfed Jesus...before that she went through an unplanned pregnancy, in times when prenatal care was not quite as it is today. Pregnancy was a hugely dangerous condition. To cap that, she rode on a donkey while heavily pregnant. I can’t imagine that – I guess few of you, even the women can’t imagine that!  And then a lonely birth in unsanitary conditions, with no anaesthetic or medical care. She was hard and tough...not the quaint, tranquil, clean Mary depicted, mainly by men, in numerous paintings over the centuries. 

She effectively founded the Christian Church – the first person to recognise Jesus as the Messiah – and respond to his call. She carried a huge responsibility with humility, inner peace and dignity, just look at the Magnificat. What a contrast to many of our male political leaders! Inarticulate babbling buffoons. 

There is not a single more important person in the history of humanity than Mary, except Jesus himself!

We should celebrate Mary’s incredible role in bringing our Saviour into the world – so isn’t it extraordinary that women are still, across the world, but even in this country, in relatively few positions of authority in the church, commerce and politics, because men, rash generalisation I know, but men generally have always considered themselves to be superior. 

My prayer for today is that women, the right women, in all countries are entrusted with the responsibility they deserve. I believe the world will be a better place, because there are so many women like Mary – tough, hardened, able to take huge responsibilities, yet with a beauty and a treasured inner peace that I feel Mary must have had to bear what she  had to. 

I pray, with The Blessed Virgin Mary, for women everywhere. I praise God for the contribution they make to the well-being of humanity and I pray that their potential is unleashed to make this world a better place. 

I commend this to your prayers too.

And as a bit of humour, though with some interesting serious feminist theological thinking behind it...

The Big "C"

I’ve heard it said a remarkable number of times even in the last few days that you don’t have to go to church to be Christian; that to be “spiritual” is not to be “religious” or aligned with a religion. People tell me they believe in God and explain that they have some notion of a higher power, but they don’t feel the need to worship. I’m told by them that they pray, especially when times get tough and maybe sometimes to thank God, but not often. There is a general belief in an afterlife (I always ask this in funeral meetings to know where I stand), though the pressing materialism of this temporal world gets in the way of thinking too much about it. While I know what is being said in all these cases, I cannot agree with it anymore. Faith is personal, yes, but faith in a gracious, unconditionally loving God requires a big response, not a mediocre take-it-or-leave it attitude. It demands a commitment. Now I’ve said it, the big “C”, commitment, so lacking in the disposable, easy-come easy-go world today.

The question is what is that commitment? Initially coming to faith or growing further in faith is an individual choice, but it is not a path one can walk alone. Rarely do people realise their faith without the guidance of another person or other people empowered by the Holy Spirit. Nurturing and fostering the sparks of faith is much easier if one enjoys regular fellowship, prayer and Bible reading with other believers – not necessarily more mature Christians, as we all know “out of the mouths of babes…” Isolated the tiny embers can so easily grow cold, unless they are drawn together and fanned into life. This is the big “C”, commitment to each other, a promise to love and support each other in faith.

Moreover, we all have our God-given skills, gifts and talents, but none of us is really an expert of all, nor can we or should we do all. We need each other like a body has many parts, which work to make up the whole organism. Christians together form the complete Body of Christ here on earth now. We are his eyes, hands and his feet, every cell of his body. Of course, this image is not original. St Paul wrote eloquently in 1 Corinthians 12 about it. Being part of a body requires us all to pull our weight; we need each other and God needs all of us.

For us today I feel we need especially to share in the Body of Christ in Communion for two good reasons. Firstly, as a Eucharist or Thanksgiving in response to all he gives us, not the least his gracious love shown in Jesus’ sacrifice remembered in the service, but also in sheer awe at this wonderful creation (ah, yes, I crave silence in worship). Secondly, because by receiving the consecrated bread we sacramentally become the Body of Christ full of his Holy Spirit, empowered to live and work to his glory, genuinely inspired. All this requires the big “C”, commitment to worship – regular, weekly worship focussing on Holy Communion with other Christians as part of the church, the Body of Christ. Corporate religion is the only way by definition; it is Christ incarnate in the world.

Accepting that mainstream religious organisations have not always got it right (and for that we must repent), without them our spiritual platitudes about belief in God and saying our occasional prayers are hollow. You cannot be a Christian and not go to church as often as you can.