Second Sunday of Advent

December 4, 2016

December 4, 2016

PREVIOUSALLNEXT

December 4, 2016

Second Sunday of Advent

Astrid

Astrid

Lobo Gajiwala

Lobo Gajiwala

At the time of working on this reflection, India was celebrating its only medals at the Rio Olympics, a bronze and a silver won by the 23 year-old wrestler Sakshi Malik[1] and the 21-year old shuttler, P.V. Sindhu. A third contestant, the 23 year old gymnast, Dipa Karmarkar,  who missed a medal by a whisker, held her country spellbound as she did  the “vault of death” that is rarely attempted.  One headline which I particularly liked was “They fought like girls”.

To understand their real triumph you have to view it against the background of their lives – being born girls in ‘gender critical’ States where baby girls are literally killed before they can dream, forget about allowing them to follow their dreams. They took up their sport against the patriarchal and medieval protests of the entire village that considered such sport ‘not meant for girls’. They faced flak for the figure hugging, skin revealing outfits that were a must for their sport. And single girls traveling outside the village, especially in the company of men, was just not done. These women surmounted the odds of no funding, homemade, makeshift equipment, and no guidance.  They made it through sheer grit, passion and faith. They brought pride to a nation that had almost given up hope of victory.

 

We are called to participate in God’s redemptive plan 

In the gospel of the second Sunday in Advent we meet a character cast in the same mould as these plucky Indian women – John, the Baptist. Like them he is single-minded in his purpose. His mission is his life, and he is willing to give his life for it. A maverick, he too refuses to conform. He emerges from the wilderness clothed in camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. His food is simple, neither bread nor wine (Mt 11:18; Lk 7:33), only locusts and wild honey (Mt 3:4; Mark 1:6). His very lifestyle in its austerity proclaims the counter-culture he has come to announce, one that places little value on the preoccupations of the world.

While still in his mother’s womb John was chosen to be God’s ambassador and he carries this consciousness of being set apart into adulthood, strengthening it with self-discipline and penance. Like those Olympic champions he prepares vigorously for that great moment when he will make an appearance on life’s stage, when all will be watching. For 400 years there had been no prophet in the Jewish world and now he is here proclaiming the advent of one who will bring justice for the poor, liberation for the afflicted and vengeance to the oppressor (Is 11:3-5). He is the forerunner of the Christ who St. Paul tells us in the second reading, brings hope and salvation to all, Jews and Gentiles alike.

 

We are called to be open to God’s grace and action 

John’s desert experience is central to his mission. If he is to be a participant in God’s redemptive plan he must open himself up to God’s grace and action.  In the stillness of his heart he must hear God’s voice. And so he goes into the wilderness, away from all distraction, to meet his God. How many of us do this? Go into the wilderness; find spaces of silence in our day, away from thoughts, desires, ambitions, plans? Do we think about emptying ourselves so that we may be filled with the Spirit? Do we make time to look within and feel the pull of the heart? Sadly, such quietness is not a priority for most of us. It is not even on our ‘to-do’ list. We are so busy with family, home, work, or connecting with friends on social media. “Work is prayer”, we console ourselves. Even our parishes are frequently caught up in this whirlwind of activity. Pope John Paul II repeatedly stressed that Catholic parishes are meant to be "genuine schools of prayer," where the "art" of prayer is taught and learned; but how many of our parishes see this as a key point in pastoral planning? 

The gospels tell us that Jesus often took off on his own to pray, away from his disciples, away from the multitudes that constantly followed him. He goes up into the mountains to pray (Mt. 14:22-23; Mk 6:45-46; Jn 6:15) sometimes staying there all night (Lk 6:12-13); he wakes up before the break of dawn to pray (Mk 1:35); he retreats into the wilderness to pray (Lk 4:42; Lk 5:16). Watching him pray his disciples are moved to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples” (Lk 11:1). Reflecting on this we are probably tempted to say, “Jesus was God and John was special so it was easy for them. But life is so different today”. So let’s take a woman of our times, Mother Teresa of Kolkata, who was recently canonized. When asked about the success of her work she confessed, “I don't think that I could do this work for even one week if I didn't have four hours of prayer every day”. And what was this prayer like? When an interviewer asked her, “When you pray, what do you say to God?” she answered simply, “I don’t talk, I simply listen.” When he persisted, “Ah, then what is it that God says to you when you pray?” she replied, “God also doesn’t talk. God also simply listens.” Four hours every day. Besides tending to the dying and unwanted she was directing her congregation and establishing foundations across the world. By the time she died in 1997 she had 610 foundations in 123 countries. She obviously was a very busy woman. Yet, she made the time to enter into the calmness of the Spirit. 

This plugging in to the Spirit is part of John’s life too. In the solitude of the desert the Spirit of the Lord rests upon him enabling him to set forth as the one who goes before, to prepare for the one who is to come. People come from “Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan” to listen to him and be baptised by him. They are moved to acknowledge their sins. All because they experience the power of God in him. His is the voice crying in the wilderness, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah: “Make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight (so that) all flesh will see the salvation of God”. (Luke 3:4-6).

What does it mean to make his paths straight? 

We are called to destroy the enemy within

When John is baptizing his people, Jesus is already there in their midst. But the Jews do not see him. They do not recognize him because he does not fit their idea of a Messiah.  Initially they longed for a deliverer, one who would free them from their oppressors. But with time they also wanted an avenger, one who would destroy their enemies. But the Messiah who comes is looking to liberate the Jews from another kind of enemy, one that is within. He has come to destroy their hypocrisy, greed, selfishness, and obsession with cultic purity and lineage, and his forerunner, John the Baptist prepares the way by pointing out the ravines into which they have fallen, and the hills and mountains that block their path to salvation. He prepares the way by drawing attention to the obstacles to God’s arrival.

 

We are called to change direction

John comes preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He gets people to start reflecting on their lives and their relationship with God. The first-century historian Josephus writes, “John enjoined upon the Jews first to cultivate virtue and to put into practice righteousness toward one another, and piety toward God, and then to come to his baptism, for thus only would the baptism be acceptable to God”.[2] So the repentance John asks for is more than just remorse and regret. The repentance he asks for is metanoia, the Greek term for “a change of mind”. It involves first of all recognition of our wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts (Is 55:7) whether through commission or omission (James 4:17; Luke 10:30-37; Mt 25:31-46). This admission of wrongdoing must be accompanied by an acknowledgement of personal responsibility and a desire for cleansing the heart and restoring right relationship with God. It is only when all these elements are present in the inward response that an outward change of behavior is possible. Only then can we change direction by “turning away” from what is wrong and “turning to” God. 

We are called to set the world in the right direction

Interestingly, the Pharisees and Saducees too flocked to John’s baptism in large numbers. They were the religious elite of Jerusalem. They followed all the rules, never skipped worship, performed the rituals meticulously and came from families that went all the way back to Abraham. Their presence should have made John happy; by coming to him they were in a way, giving him credibility. Instead John sees right through them and calls them a “brood of vipers”.

He is not taken up by their outward religiosity. He knows that they are not there to repent but to take an easy way out. They are there because their rabbis had foretold that the Messiah’s advent would be preceded by a period of great suffering, generally known as the “woes of Messiah”, and they thought John’s baptism was an easy ritual which would protect them from the “woes”.[3] But John immediately calls them out. “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance” (Mt. 3:8) he challenges them.  And lest they think that having Abraham as their father was enough to presume relationship with God, he quickly disillusions them. “God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones”, he tells them. It is a reminder for us too who are complacent in our baptism, believing that it is our passport to heaven. No amount of pious devotions and reception of the sacraments can substitute the need for the true metanoia which will bring about God’s Reign of righteousness and right relationship. Like John and Jesus, we too must be symbols of God’s initiative taking shape in the world. Like them we must challenge unjust structures and practices that promote discrimination on the basis of race, class, caste, religion and gender, beginning in our own homes and social circles. We must begin to question the world economy that Pope Francis points out perpetuates a fundamental terrorism against all humanity by placing at its center the god of money and not the person. We must feel moved to open the doors of mercy to those who come to us in need – the poor, the unwanted, the broken, the migrant, the refugee; and we must be ever conscious of the need to heal and safeguard Mother Earth against greed and selfish exploitation. As we change direction in our lives its impact must be evident in the way we view the world and respond to its concerns. We must strive too to set the world in the right direction.

We are called to point a way to God

The season of Advent provides us with an opportunity for new beginnings. It blends a penitential theme with one of prayerful, spiritual preparation for the second and final coming of our Lord, and one of joyful anticipation of the celebration of the Incarnation and Christ’s birth. It is a time for looking within and asking: What must we change to make a way for the Lord in our hearts and in our world? But it is also a season of looking forward, of moving towards something greater. In the Gospel reading John directs us to Jesus as the one who is mightier than him, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire and bring new life not just to the Jews, but to all who call on His name. Today’s gospel invites us to stand like John, passionate and steadfast in the face of criticism, temptation, ridicule and even persecution, and point a way to Jesus Christ through the choices we make, the values we live by, the causes we uphold.

The fruit of such repentance and right living is reconciliation. In the first reading the prophet Isaiah tells us about a new world order that will be ushered in by the Messiah, one that would be characterized by justice, faithfulness and kinship across all boundaries. In this reconciled world there will be no enmity - predators will live in peace with their prey and their young will browse together; there will be no discrimination - the strong and the weak will share the same meal; and there will be no fear – the vulnerable will be protected, for “the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.” (Is 11:9). This is the promise of Advent.

[1] Sakshi Malik comes from a village where the child sex ratio is just 800 females for every 1,000 males, lower even than the ratio for the ‘gender critical’ State of  Haryana.

[2]  'Ant.,' 18:05, 2 cited in http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/luke/3.htm 

[3]  http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/luke/3.htm

 

 

Justo en estos días en los que he estado preparando estas reflexiones mi país de la India ha estado festejando las únicas medallas olímpicas ganadas en Río de Janeiro. Una de bronce para la luchadora Sakshi Malik[1] y una de plata para la atleta P.V. Sindhu. Una tercera Dipa Karmarkar, de 23 años que fallo conseguir una medalla por un pelo, hechizo al país completo al completar la maniobra titulada “salto de la muerte” el cual se trata raramente.  Uno de los titulares de periódico que me gusto mucho es el que decía: “Pelearon como niñas”.

Para bien entender este triunfo hay que considerarlo contra el fondo de lo que han sido las vidas de estas niñas – nacidas en estados conocidos de ‘genero critico’ donde se matan a donde las bebes niñas antes de que estas puedan soñar mucho menos  vivir sus sueños. Ellas practicaron sus deportes, contra las protestas patriarcales y medievales de sus pueblos completos los cuales consideran estos deportes “no para niñas”. Los uniformes de los deportes son ajustados y delinean la silueta del cuerpo. Ni se diga de que una mujer viaje fuera del pueblo, especialmente acompañada de hombres – sencillamente NO SE HACE! Estas mujeres se superaron  la falta de fondos, equipos deficientes, y nada de entrenamiento. A fuerza de puro querer, pasión y fe. Le trajeron orgullo a una nación que casi se había dado por vencido de ver una victoria.

Se nos llama participar en el plan redentorista de Dios

En el evangelio del segundo domingo de adviento vemos a una persona hecha del mismo molde que estas audaces mujeres Indias – Juan Bautista. Al igual que ellas el es increíblemente dedicado. Su misión es su vida, y el está dispuesto a dar su vida por su misión. Disidente también el se rehúsa conformar a las normas del tiempo. El sale del desierto vestido de lana de camello, con un cinturón de cuero en la cintura. Su comida era simple, insectos y miel silvestre (Mateo 3:4; Marcos 1:6). En su  ascetismo su vida misma proclama la contra cultura que viene a anunciar, una que le pone poco valor a las preocupaciones del mundo.

Mientras aun estaba en el vientre de su madre Juan Bautista fue selecto a ser el embajador de Dios, y lleva hasta su madurez esta conciencia de ser distinto que otros, fortaleciéndolo con auto disciplina y penitencia. Así como las atletas olímpicas se preparo con vigor para el momento en que haría acto de presencia en la tarima de la vida, cuando todos lo estarían observando. Por 400 años no se había dado un profeta en el mundo judío, y ahora repentinamente Juan Bautista proclama  uno que llega con justicia para los pobres, liberación para los afligidos, y venganza contra el opresor. (Isaías 11:3-5). El es el precursor al Cristo que San Pablo nos dice en la segunda lectura, que va a traer esperanza y salvación para todos, ya sean judíos o no.

Se nos exhorta aceptar la acción y gracia de Dios.

La experiencia de Juan es central a su misión. Si el va a ser partícipe del plan redentor de Dios, va  a tener que abrirse al la gracia y acción e Dios. En lo más profundo de su corazón tiene que oír la voz de Dios. Por eso se va al desierto, lejos de las distracciones, para conocer a Dios. ¿Cuántos de nosotros hacemos esto? Irnos al desierto, buscar un lugar callado en nuestros días, lejos de los pensamientos, ambiciones, planes. ¿Pensamos en vaciarnos de lo diario, para llenarnos del espíritu? ¿Tomamos tiempo para la introspección, para sentir lejos de las distracciones, y así sentir el jalón del corazón? Tristemente ese tipo de silencio no es prioridad para nosotros, ni siquiera cae en nuestra lista de quehaceres. Estamos muy ocupados con la familia, el hogar, el trabajo, o conectando con amistades en las redes sociales. Nos consolamos con decir que “el trabajo es oración”. Hasta nuestras parroquias caen en este torbellino de actividad. El papa Juan Pablo II repetidamente nos dice que las parroquias han de ser “genuinos colegios de oración”. Donde el “arte” de la oración se enseña y se aprende; pero cuantas parroquias ven esto como elemento clave y central a su planificación pastoral?

El evangelio nos dice que Dios a menudo se aislaba para orar, lejos de sus discípulos, lejos de las multitudes que lo seguían constantemente. El se va a las montanas a rezar (Mateo 14:22-23; Marcos 6:45-46; Juan 6:15) a veces quedándose allá la noche entera (Lucas 6:12-13); se levanta de madrugada a rezar (Marcos 1:35); se retira al desierto a rezar (Lucas 4:42; Lucas 5:16). Los discípulos se emocionan viéndolo rezar y le piden, “Señor, enséñanos a orar, como también Juan enseñó a sus discípulos”. Viendo esto es posible que nosotros queramos decir ”Claro Jesús era Dios, y Juan era especial, a ellos se les hace fácil. ¡Pero hoy día la vida es tan distinta!” Con esto en mente veamos una mujer de nuestros días, la Madre Teresa de Calcuta, quien fue recientemente canonizada. Cuando se le pregunto acerca del éxito de su vida ella confiesa, “no podría hacer este trabajo ni por una semana si no pudiera orar por cuatro horas cada día”. ¿Y que conlleva esa oración? Cuando un entrevistador le pregunto, “¿Cuando usted ora, que le dice a Dios?  Ella contesto sencillamente “yo no hablo, yo escucho.” Cuando insistió diciendo “Ah, entonces que es lo que le dice Dios a usted cuando ora?” ella contesto “Dios tampoco habla, Dios solo escucha.”  Cuatro horas todos los días. Esto encima de atender a los moribundos, los indeseables, dirigiendo a su congregación de religiosas y estableciendo fundaciones a través del mundo. Cuando murió en 1997 tenía 610 fundaciones en 123 países. Obviamente era una mujer muy ocupada. Y sin embargo encontraba el tiempo para atender a la paz del espíritu.

Esta conexión con el espíritu es parte de la vida de Juan también. En lo solitario del desierto el espíritu del señor lo cubre, habilitándolo a servir como el que viene primero, para prepararnos para el que viene. La gente viene de Jerusalén, y toda Judea, y toda la región de la Jordania, a escucharle, y para ser bautizados por él. Se inspiran a reconocer sus pecados. Todo por sentir el poder de Dios en el. Suya es la voz que gime en el desierto.  Como predijo el profeta Isaías: “Preparad el camino del Señor; Enederezad sus rendas. Todo valle de rellenara, y se bajara todo monte y collado; Los caminos torcidos serán enderezados; y los caminos ásperos allanados; y vera toda carne la salvación de Dios.” ¿Qué significa ‘Los caminos torcidos serán enderezados’?

Se nos dice destruir el enemigo que llevamos adentro

Cuando Juan esta bautizando gente, Jesús está presente. Pero los judíos no lo ven. No lo reconocen porque él no se asienta al molde que ellos tenían de un mesías. Inicialmente lo que ellos querían era uno que los liberara de sus opresores. Pero al pasar el tiempo también querían un vengador, que destruyera a sus enemigos. Pero el Mesías que llega viene a liberar a los judíos de otro enemigo, uno que llevan adentro. Viene a destruir su hipocresía, la codicia, su egoísmo, y la obsesión con la pureza de culto, y familia. Juan Bautista los prepara señalando los barrancos  en los que han caído, y las montañas que bloquean el camino a la salvación. El les prepara el camino señalando los obstáculos a la llegada de Dios.

Se nos dice cambiar de dirección

Juan llega predicando el evangelio de arrepentimiento para el perdón de los pecados. El consigue que la gente se enfoque en sus vidas, y su relación con Dios. El arrepentimiento que el pide es metanoia,  que es el termino griego “cambiar de opinión.” Primero hay que reconocer sus acciones malvadas y malos pensamientos (Isaías 55:7). Esta admisión de fechorías tiene que ser acompañada de responsabilidad personal y el querer limpiar el corazón, y restaurar nuestra relación con Dios. Solo cuando estos elementos están presentes adentro de nosotros que un cambio externo es posible. Solo entonces podemos cambiar dirección al alejarnos de lo que hay errado, y nos podemos dirigir a Dios.

Se nos pide que encaminemos al mundo en la dirección correcta

Interesantemente lo fariseos y saduceos también fueron a ver a Juan el bautista en grandes números. Ellos eran la elite de Jerusalén. Seguían todas las reglas, nunca faltaban a orar, completaban los rituales meticulosamente y venían de familias que se alineaban hasta Abrahán. Su presencia le debía haber agradado a Juan; al venir a él cómo llegaban le daba credibilidad. Pero Juan los ve como las serpientes que son, y los dice víboras a la cara.

El no se convence con las actividades externas. Juan los reta, “Produce buen fruto y evidencia de tu arrepentimiento” (Mateo 3:8). Y por si acaso se creen que tener a Abrahán como antepasado es suficiente para una relación con Dios, rápidamente los desilusiona. “Dios puede hacer crías de Abrahán de estas piedras” les dice. Es un recordatorio para nosotros también que pensamos que el bautizo es nuestro pasaporte al cielo. No hay cantidad de devociones y sacramentos que pueda substituir a la real metanoia  la cual traerá el reino de Dios.  Como Juan y Jesús, nosotros también tenemos que ser símbolos de las iniciativas de Dios en la tierra.  Así como ellos tenemos que retar las estructuras injustas, y las practicas que promueven la discriminación a base de raza, clase, casta, religión, y/o genero, empezando en nuestras casas y círculos sociales. Tenemos que cuestionar la economía mundial que, como dice el papa Francisco, perpetua un terrorismo fundamental contra la humanidad al poner al centro un dios de dinero y no de humanos.  Tenemos que emocionarnos a abrir las puertas de la misericordia para aquellos que acuden a nosotros con necesidades. Los pobres, los indeseables, los quebrados, el inmigrante, el refugiado; y tenemos que mantenernos siempre consientes  de la necesidad de sanar y resguardar a la Madre Tierra contra la codicia, y la explotación egoísta. A medida que vayamos cambiando el rumbo de nuestras vidas su impacto tiene que ser evidente en la manera en que veamos y respondamos al mundo. Tenemos que esforzarnos a poner al mundo en el camino apropiado.

Se nos pide señalar el camino hacia Dios

La temporada de adviento nos da la oportunidad para empezar de nuevo. Combina el tema de la penitencia, con un tema de oración y preparación espiritual para le segunda y ultima venida de nuestro Señor,  y una de anticipación feliz de la celebración de la Encarnación y el nacimiento de Cristo. Es hora de reflejar y peguntar: Que debemos cambiar para hacer bien el camino para el Señor en nuestros corazones y en el mundo? Pero también es temporada para mirar adelante, y hacer rumbo a algo mejor, mar grande. En el evangelio Juan nos dirige a Jesús como el que es más poderoso que él, y quien bautizara en el Espíritu Santo y fuego, y quien traerá nueva vida no solo a los judíos, sino a todos los que llamen Su nombre. El evangelio de hoy nos invita hacer presencia con Juan, apasionadamente y firmes ante el criticismo, la tentación, el ridículo, hasta la persecución, y seguir el camino a Jesucristo a través de nuestras acciones, los valores por los cuales vivimos, las causas que apoyamos.

El fruto de este arrepentimiento, y la vida correcta es la reconciliación. En le primera lectura el profeta Isaías nos dice como el Mesías traerá la orden nueva del mundo, una que se caracterizara de justicia, fe, y amistad a través de todos los limites. En este mundo reconciliado no habrá enemistad, el depredador vivirá en paz con la presa y sus crías vivirán felices. No habrá discriminación, los fuertes y los débiles compartirán la misma cena, y no habrá temor. El vulnerable será protegido “Porque la tierra será llena del conocimiento de Jehová, como las aguas cubren el mar.” (Isaías 11:9)

ESTA es la promesa de adviento.

 

[1] Sakshi Malik viene de un pueblo donde la proporción de género de los niños es 800 hembras por cada 1000 varones. Esta proporción es más baja aun que las del estado de Hayana el cual es considerado un estado de ‘género crítico’.

[2]  'Ant.,' 18:05, 2 citado en http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/luke/3.htm 

[3]  http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/luke/3.htm

First Reading

Is 11:1-10

PSALM

Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

Second Reading

Rom 15:4-9

GOSPEL

Mt 3:1-12
Read texts at usccb.org

Astrid Lobo Gajiwala

Astrid Lobo Gajiwala

Astrid  Lobo Gajiwala has a PhD in Medicine, and Post Graduate Diplomas in Tissue  Banking, Bioethics, and Theology. She heads India’s first Tissue Bank which  she established in 1988, and served as India’s Project Co-ordinator for Tissue  Banking for the IAEA. She was the first woman President of the Asia Pacific Association of Tissue Banking.

She is  a founding member of Satyashodhak a Mumbai based feminist collective that, since its inception in 1984, has contributed significantly to the empowerment of women in the Indian Church: member of the Indian Theological Association (ITA) at a time when the majority of theologians were men, and currently serves on their Executive Committee; founding member of the Indian Women’s Theological Forum (IWTF) and former Assistant Co-ordinator for Ecclesia of Women in Asia (EWA), which bring together women theologians from academia and the grass roots; member of the ecumenical Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM); and former Secretary of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council and Vice President of the Parish Pastoral Council.      

Recipient of two awards for journalism, she contributed to the anthology: Catholic  Women Speak: Bringing Our Gifts to the Table that was distributed to the  bishops at the 2015 Synod on the Family, and Elizabeth Johnson’s anthology: The Strength of Her Witness. Earlier she was invited by Voices of Faith as a panelist at a celebration of International Women’s Day in the Vatican.

She conducts sessions on gender sensitization, feminist theology and inter-religious  marriage, for seminarians and parish groups and is a resource person for the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference  (FABC), the Catholic Bishops’  Conference of India (CBCI) and the Bombay Archdiocesan Women’s  Commission. She played a key role in the institution of the CBCI Commission  for Women (1992), of which she continues to be a core team member, and the  drafting of the bishops’ “Gender Policy of the Church of India” (2010) which she presented at the “Women’s Ordination Worldwide” Conference (2015).

Currently  she is on the advisory bodies of a few international reform groups as well as the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA) and the Jesuit  Faculties’ Forum for South Asia (JFFSA) engaged in reorientation of the Assistancy.

MORE INFO/ CONNECT

NOW AVAILABLE!

The second of three volumes from the Catholic Women Preach project of FutureChurch offers homilies for each Sunday and holy days of the liturgical year by Catholic women from around the world.  The first volume for Cycle A received awards for best book on Liturgy from both the Association of Catholic Publishers and the Catholic Media Association.

“Catholic Women Preach is one of the more inspiring collection of homilies available today. Based on the deep spirituality and insights of the various women authors, the homilies are solidly based on the scriptures and offer refreshing and engaging insights for homilists and listeners. The feminine perspective has long been absent in the preached word, and its inclusion in this work offers a long overdue and pastorally necessary resource for the liturgical life of the Church.” - Catholic Media Association

Purchase at Orbis Books

Advertise with Catholic Women Preach: email Russ at russ@futurechurch.org