It is also a day marked by remembrance and action in the Ignatian Family. 6 years ago, at the Ignatian Family Teach-in in Fort Benning, Georgia, I delivered a talk on how this event in a different country years ago still has an important connection to us today. I thought I would share it in this forum today, as a way of marking this anniversary.
"Vocations for Justice"
“You’re
Catholic and you’re a woman?”
“You know it.”
“And
you’re preparing for ministry in the Church?”
“Precisely.”
I
cannot tell you the number of times I have had this conversation. Everyone from the stranger next to me
on the airplane to my mother has asked me these questions. Sometimes I wonder if they think that I
somehow didn’t notice that I was a woman.
Now
I realize that lay ministry in the Church isn’t something with which everyone
is familiar. I know that the fact
that I am in a Masters of Divinity program yet not preparing to be a pastor is
confusing. I am also acutely aware
that given current Church practice, women cannot be ordained to the priesthood.
But I’m also aware of
something more.
I’m
aware that God continues to call.
And I’m aware that God does not limit his or her calls.
I’m
aware that I am here, that you are here, because God calls us to be here.
I’m aware that in this room,
God is calling each and everyone of us to something unique, to be a fire that
kindles other fires.
And if we listen, truly
listen, we can hear God stirring in our midst at this very moment.
Now,
you might be asking yourself, how on earth does this lady know that God is
working in me?
Well,
first of all, a call isn’t necessarily the booming voice of God telling us what
to do.
I
know that God is calling you because I’ve seen it.
I
saw in yesterday in the students who spoke about their experience in El
Salvador. I saw it this morning in
sleep deprived people piling out of the hotel into this room.
And
I’ve seen it in my own life.
I
have been called to study theology at the wonderful Jesuit School of Theology
at Berkeley. And let me tell you,
if you would have asked me 5 years ago if I thought I’d end up at a theology
school, I would have told you that I had no idea what that was. Throughout my studies, I’ve continually
asked myself exactly what it means to be a female lay minister in the Church.
It
means collaboration with my Jesuit brothers who are preparing for
ordination.
It
also means being told that I do not work as hard or am not as important as
priests. It means coping with this
rejection.
But
if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that far outweighing the struggles are
the joys.
Preaching at a Eucharistic celebration is an exhilarating
experience.
Sharing conversations about why we traveled all the
way down to Georgia and feeling the presence of God in our midst continues to
give me chills.
And
being here with the Ignatian Family continues to be one of the most inspiring
experiences I could imagine.
As
we gather together, we talk a lot about people who have gone before us.
Well,
I’ve got news for you.
Women
who inspire me, women like, Ita, Dorothy, Jean and Maura.
They
were called to vocations of justice, and so are we.
Ignacio,
Segundo, Elba, Celina, Amando, Nacho, Joaquin and Juan were called to vocations
of justice, and so are we.
God
is an equal opportunity recruiter--- and calls all of us, regardless of whether
we think we are good enough or holy enough or even want to hear it.
It
may not be a call like we expect, but I guarantee the One who called Mary and
Jeremiah and Peter is stirring in you in a way that only you can recognize.
God
continues to call each and every one of us. Men and women.
Lay and ordained. All
ages. All nationalities. All types.
God
is calling each and everyone of us to something unique.
God
is calling each of us to be a fire that kindles other fires.
God
is calling you to be a fire that kindles other fires
