God Is Not 3 Guys

Two thousand years ago, Jews dispersed to regions around the Mediterranean with religions that honored deities other than “the Lord” of Hebrew literature. These pagan communities prayed to gods or goddesses who conquered life in the world and achieved immortality. Their liturgies solemnly commemorated and ritually enacted a deity’s life, death, and resurrection, which, of course, is what we do in the Mass. The rites put participants in close relation with the divinity and allowed them a share in the divine powers. Like the Mass, sacred pageants of pagans produced a constant renewal, a participation in the deity’s dying and rising. Our Mass and sacraments have the spiritual aura and basic significance of Pagan ceremonies. Pagan myth and rite corresponded to each other as they do in Christian practice where the significance of Passion and Death, Last Supper, Mass and Eucharist are closely interwoven. Significantly, the Mass is called the Mystery.      ...

Dear Pope Francis, I would not bother to write if I were not sure that you will listen. Thank you for this. I was heartsick when I read the news that Pope Francis approved the excommunication of Fr. Greg Reynolds of Melbourne, Australia, for supporting women priests. It is a blow, Pope Francis, precisely because of your appealing character, but it confirms my suspicion that you have not transcended the conditioning of Catholic culture. Amid raving reports of your truly wonderful shift in style and in aspects of church governance, it was shocking to learn that a priest was ex-communicated for supporting women priests. No priest or bishop who participated in clergy sex abuse has been excommunicated for it. We cannot escape the facts, Pope Francis—your hard line against women’s ordination, your acceptance of Pope Benedict’s harsh response to women religious leaders (LCWR), and your talk about women’s “special role” and a “theology of women.” Despite your delightful personal...