Rather than publicly chastising nuns, the Catholic Church should be thanking God for every single compassionate, thought-filled and selfless one of them.
Here we go again! Instead of getting more pressing matters of its own house in order (the issues of priest pedophilia, the race for the exits by disillusioned Catholics worldwide and deviant political forays from the pulpit by a rogue bishop or two come to mind), the Church has decided to take another swipe at a Sister. The most recent Vatican-imposed time out comes on the heels of the Church's decision to micro-manage the largest nun society in the United States, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, just weeks ago. It would seem, at least to this lay person, that the tunnel visioned boys at the Vatican have way too much time on their holy hands.
Sister Margaret A. Farley, a scholarly woman of faith who taught Christian Ethics at Yale University and served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, is being brought to the woodshed by Rome for penning "Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics." How dare she use her God given gifts of cognition to share her educated point of view with the world! It's difficult to say what is more sizable -- her nerve or the nerve she's seemed to have struck with the holier than all of us "Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith" committee at the Vatican.
The committee said "Just Love" is "not consistent with authentic Catholic theology." No truer words have probably ever been spoken. Without doubt, Sister Margaret's perspective is wildly threatening to Catholic leadership. She had the audacity to pose a theological basis for same-sex relationships, same-sex marriage, divorce and masturbation, all in one book! And rather than point out how her perspective lacks complete biblical footing, the Catholic Church instead wants to demean the woman's work because she strayed from "authentic" Catholic teaching.
The elephant-in-the-room question that begs to be answered is this: Was Sister Farley's book a fair, logical biblical interpretation or was it somehow erroneous and misleading? A host of religious leaders and scholars, including the head of her Order and the Dean of Yale Divinity School (a Catholic), have issued statements supporting the good Sister's work. What did she write that was inaccurate? Deceptive? Or was the Catholic Church's objection to her perspective simply a matter of differing biblical interpretation? (As a free range Catholic, I would like to be told why the Church thinks the Sister was off her nut, not simply that she was.)
If the point of the Vatican was to discount the validity of Sister Farley's message, it seems to have failed miserably. The New York Times and a myriad of news outlets have given ink to the Vatican's objection to Sister Farley, affording the book priceless publicity. And thanks to the Church, countless Catholics and others around the world who had never heard of the good Sister will be clamoring to find and read her work.
As a Catholic woman, I am keenly interested in what nuns in particular have to say. Their tireless commitment to quiet service in the face of inequality within the Church is an amazement to me and to millions of others whom they have served in the past 2000 or so years. My favorite nun (if Topps made nun trading cards, I would have hers), Mother Teresa, didn't fear poverty, she made her home within it. She welcomed the pain and desperation and sadness that seeped from the gutters of Calcutta with the grace and love and compassion that simply cannot be fabricated from the ivory tower balconies of Vatican City. We can learn life lessons from the women of the Church, and I believe the Good Shepherd wants us to be led by their positive examples.
Whatever we fear, I sincerely believe, owns us. What does the Catholic Church fear in Sister Farley's writings? If we said that the Bible doesn't have it out for gays and lesbians, would our Church crumble, or would it grow? If divorce was not condemned, would more people leave our faith or stay in it? Do we really think God cares whether or not we masturbate? How we interpret the Bible and God's intent is not a science, but a faith-based journey we are called to take. I humbly submit that God wants us to welcome him, not fear Him. Maybe that's where the journey should start.
I believe God gave us gray matter in hopes that we would use it to grow. If the Catholic Church has problems with "rogue" nuns, open a dialogue. Discuss the differences, and come to agreement where possible, even if it is to disagree. The boys on the balconies need to clue into what the female members of the cloth are doing in the name of Christ in the trenches, and how us regular Catholic gals are living in and out of the pews. Maybe then Church leadership might fully experience the love and compassion Jesus hoped would fill our lives.
Fear not, Vatican. Those nuns? They're just doing God's work.
Sarah O'Leary is an author, licensed minister, and world's first and only Midlife®. She addresses conferences and church groups whenever possible. You may reach Ms. O'Leary via email: sarahathuffpo@gmail.com.
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Paul Brandeis Raushenbush: In Praise Of Courageous Nuns Facing The Vatican Crackdown
To make one point: you ask if God cares if we masturbate. In the Gospel, Jesus addresses the issue of lusting after someone as committing adultery, eve if it's only in thought. Since a great deal of masturbation involves imagery, imagination etc., one can see how this would run contrary to Christ's own words.
Your article states: "As a Catholic woman, I am keenly interested in what nuns in particular have to say." Please help me understand how "Catholic" you really are. Have you been to a Catholic mass more than twice in the past year?
Thanks,
Ken
Whereas most of the comments and emails I've received have been thought provoking, It seems that a small few among us don't want to address anything I've covered in the article. The point of the comments section of any HP post is to discuss the content of that particular post. If a person simply wants to use this forum as his/her own soap box to air a host of, pontifications not directly related to "Hey Vatican: Lay Off My Sisters!", I must humbly refuse to reply. I would suggest those herein who want to have open and honest discussion about the piece also steer clear of engaging these people. It simply serves to distract us from successful discussion and debate.
Thanks again for your interest, and may God bless and keep you!
I'd love to communicate more directly... but you've deleted all of my comments - most of which were extremely respectful in spite of our differences (but all respectful). However, I'd prefer a public airing of the conversation to document a continuity of rational discourse. But you have the upper hand with the delete button and limit my arguments to those that you choose (in this case, none).
Allow me to give you a bit of HP education. I cannot delete anyone's posts. That is the job of the moderator. I know that information blows a large whole in your argument, but it is the truth. With that said, you are free to go anywhere on the internet and share your opinion form behind a curtain. My challenge to you is that you own up to what you seem to be so passionate about. You can continue on as a nameless, faceless person, but why? What do you fear? I hope you find solace.
While I am no coward, I am also not going to post my personal information here. Now if you wish to communicate one-on-one, I have NO problem with that.
My email has been listed on every article I've written in the last several months. Why haven't you made yourself known by using it? A coward, by definition, is someone who cowers or hides. I'm just curious why you're afraid. Any ideas?
I think it's very odd that you would cite your favorite nun mother Teresa as support for your argument. I sincerely doubt that she would support yours. Please consider the following clips from speeches she has given. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDUXPgKBIIM
Bl. Teresa of Calcutta Pray for us!
On another note, why would you ask Teresa of Calcutta to pray for you? I would think you might get a bit more accomplished if you prayed to God from the start. Just a thought. God bless you!
",,,why would you ask Teresa of Calcutta to pray for you?" Every good Catholic knows that we ask each other to pray for us AND we ask the saints to pray for us too! Of course, we can (and do) pray directly to God but as most Protestants misunderstand, WE see the saints as allies - whose prayers and petitions on our behalf strengthen our request. I will pray for you. Please pray for me.
Progressive "Christianity" teaches indulge yourself, use your neighbors for your own pleasure and discard them when they become inconvenient. And "eat,drink and be merry for tomorrow we die."
Quite frankly, I wish the Pope would follow the example of the Orthodox hierarchs and live as a monk.
But how does the Catholic Church mostly use its so-called wealth and prestige in the 21st century -- as the world's largest provider of charity to the poor.
Wealth is not evil in of itself. But how that wealth is used can be.
The worthiness or unworthiness of the people in the Vatican has no bearing on the validity and truth of the broader Catholic tradition.
The scandals in the Church have been a result of men and women who have NOT lived according to their faith and vocation.
As a Gen-Xer, I look at the disaster the sexual revoluton visited on my generation. E.g. widespread divorce, infidelity, a utilitarian sexual ethic, people like my ladyfriend who don't know their fathers and say progressivism's consequences are nothing but societal ruin.
Progressive philosophy only begets societal disaster. And I might note that the rise of progressivism within the Catholic Church has gone hand in hand with the rise of these scandals.
Tolerance of evil is evil.
I've grown increasingly disgusted with the myopic Natural Law fundamentalism that they superimpose on religion. The hierarchy acts like a besieged, tyrannical government willing to visit metaphorical death and destruction on those who dare question its policies and judgments. Such secular governments, history has shown, frequently are overthrown despite their apparent superior resources.
The Catholic Church, like a host of institutions today, can only be saved by its people -- not misguided leadership. Thanks for your comments -- you gave me lots to think about.
It should simply re-iterate in every person's mind, the complete and absolute separation of Church and State - not just politically, but socially and judicially as well!!!
This illustrates the lingering and festering inequality that women all over the World are subjected to - in the name of religious dogma and doctrine defined by men... I have one life to live and despite all the progress made to date, I will still never be a complete equal - and I am doing so much better than most women in other parts of the World!!!