Vocation of Florence Li Tim-Oi

Today we honor the ordination of Florence Li Tim- Oi, who was born in Hong Kong, in 1907.  In 1944  Florence was ordained as an Anglican deaconess.  Months later Hong Kong fell to the Japanese & WWII began. Florence  was sent to Macau, where she served many refugees as the only ordained person.  Bishop Ronald Hall ordained her to the priesthood in 1944, in order to help her fulfill her responsibilities. 

When the war ended, Florence's being ordained created so much controversy that she made the decision to relinquish her license,  but continued to serve the church. After the Communist revolution, Florence was repeatedly singled out for abuse because of her ties to the English colonialists & her role as a female priest. For 16 years all churches were closed and Florence was forced to work on a farm and a factory. In 1979 the churches reopened and Florence resumed her ministry.  Two year later she was permitted to join family living in Toronto. There, in 1984, she was reinstated as a priest. She spent the last eight years of her life serving her parish and encouraging the acceptance of women into the priesthood. Florence lived to see the consecration of the first woman bishop.   

I read the following excerpt on Elizabeth Kaeton's blog today.  It is so powerful in light of all  who know they are called to ordained ministry but are not able or allowed to pursue their call.  May Florence Li Tim-Oi's story be a deep and lasting  source of encouragement in light of that pain.

" Vocation is something which is heard by an individual, witnessed in her life and validated by the community of faith. It begins with the individual but ends with an ever-deepening, self-sacrificial journey into the mystery and intimacy of community. To turn a blind eye to the witness of the Spirit moving and acting in the life of another speaks more to the spiritual and corporal arrogance of those in power than it does of the validity of the person's vocation. I have to believe there are consequences for the continued practices of injustice in the church and in the world. " - Elizabeth Kaeton

Visit Telling Secrets for more on Florence Li Tim-Oi's story

Icon written by the Rev'd Dr. Ellen Poisson, OSH

first at the cradle

"Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were

first at the Cradle and last at the Cross.

They had never known a man like this Man -

there never has been such another.

A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them,

never flattered or coaxed or patronised:

who never made arch jokes about them...;

who rebuked without querulousness

and praised without condescension;

who took their questions and arguments seriously;

who never mapped out their sphere for them,

never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female;

who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend;

who took them as he found them and was completely unself-conscious.

There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel

that borrows its pungency from female perversity;

nobody could possibly guess from the words and deeds of Jesus

that there was anything "funny" about woman's nature."

 

(Dorothy Sayers, as quoted in the book "Freeing Theology")

 

photo from here

 

can you see the heart?

Advent womb

"We wait in the darkness, expectantly, longingly, anxiously, thoughtfully.
The darkness is our friend.

In the darkness of the womb we have all been nurtured and protected.

In the darkness of the womb,

the Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light.
You are with us, O God, in darkness and light."

 

first stanza of a prayer from the

Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand (adapted)

Mary of the Sign

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception,

which has been celebrated as far back as the 7th century

and celebrates the conception of Mary in her mother Anne's womb.

 

As we count down the days until the birth of Christ,

let us honor Mary through this icon (and what, in an ancient yet modern way,

resembles an ultrasound of the child she carried!)

The following piece is from  the December issue of

Contemplative Outreach News

which you can read in its entirety here.

Mary of the Sign

Mary stands square to the viewer, her poised

stillness or silent constant prayer is noted in

the hands, palms extended outward in total

surrender to what has been given. Mary clutches

and yearns for nothing. In early icons Mary was

portrayed as the Burning Bush and Christ the

fire that burns within. She is represented as the

divine vessel of burning love. She knows

and loves Him even before His birth.

 

The orb containing this revelation rests within her

being, Christ surrounded in gold, symbolizing

the totality of God without image. Christ is

holding a tiny scroll, a symbol of the Scripture

being fulfilled in Him and later to be filled in

each and every one of us. Christ is our interior

teacher, guide master, and rabbi. The icon’s

theology is the link between the Jewish tradition

and the new understanding of Christ.

 

“The Lord Himself will give you a sign, behold a

young woman shall conceive and bear a child

and his name will be Emmanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14.

 

Excerpt taken from The Mary Collection 2008

by Mary Jane Miller. To see more work done by

Mary Jane Miller, go to:

http://sanmiguelicons.com/galleries.php

 

 

click here to see Mary Jane Miller's icon of Mary of the Sign.

it is stunning!

Hildegard's Feast

Hildegard, whose feast day we celebrate today,

was born in 1098 in the German town of Bingen.

Hildegard was a mystic, a theologian, composer, preacher, Benedictine abbess, prophet,

writer of scientific journals, ecologist, inventor, & psychologist...just to name a few.

Several days ago I attended my first Hildegard of Bingen tea party.

We listened to several of her musical compositions while discussing her visions

which were known as "illuminations" & it became very clear that

Hildegard has much to offer the church of today. 

Here is a quote:

"God's soul is the wind rustling plants and leaves,

the dew dancing on the grass,

the rainy breezes making everything to grow.

Just like this, the kindness of a person flows,

touching those dragging burdens of longing.

We should be a breeze helping the homeless,

dew comforting those who are depressed,

the cool, misty air refreshing the exhausted,

and with God's teaching we have got to feed the hungry.

This is how we share God's soul."

 

- Hildegard of Bingen, Hymn -

from A Little Daily Wisdom by Carmen Butcher, p.195

 

mandala by Hildegard - Wheel of Life

History Maker

You know that saying, "Well behaved women rarely make history"..?

Well, in today's gospel from Matthew 15 we hear the voice

of the desperate Canaanite woman

who pleaded with Jesus to cure her demon-possessed daughter.

Thanks to her bold response to his initial denial to help,

"Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs

that fall from their masters' table,"

she made history by having her story included for us to hear,

and she enlarged Jesus' view of who was included. 

"Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish."

Dang! 

Mama's Day

Some Mother's Day Trivia

What TV mama drove this bus?

(So glad she was careful and nervous, all at the same time!)

stop, sit, & listen

"The greatest spiritual act

we can take is to stop and sit down."

— Anne Lamott

Cana Wine

Today's Gospel reading is the familiar story of Jesus turning water into wine as recounted in John 2:1-11. Antoinette Voute Roeder captures the intensity of the mother-son relationship in this poem from her book "Weaving the Wind"....Enjoy!

"He was dancing with the bride,

when he became aware of her,

unobtrusive at his side.

They have no more wine she said.

And the dance came to a halt

as he looked into her face,

saw her eyes speak worlds of love,

cosmic beckoning in the deep space

of Creation.

Filigrees of fear, of wonder,

plucked like fingers at his heart.

Lady, (and it sounded like

he was addressing royalty),

it is not my time.

His gaze remaining locked with hers,

he saw within the wet depth

of her woman's tears, himself:

upwelling, surging, and emerging

in a second birth.

Is it? was his whisper

and it hung between them, quivering

Then he caught her, strong embrace,

and turned to seek his Father's face

before opening the door

to the beginning of his life,

the outpouring of himself,

in this, the first of many signs.

Cana wine.

                                 John 2

Fighting Fleas!

Fighting Fleas

"We have to fight them daily, like fleas,

those many small worries about the morrow,

for they sap our energies….

The things that have to be done must be done,

and for the rest we must not allow ourselves

to become infested with thousands of petty fears and worries,

so many motions of no confidence in God.

Ultimately, we have just one moral duty:

to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves,

more and more peace, and reflect it towards others.

And the more peace there is in us,

the more peace there will also be in our troubled world."

- Etty Hillesum

Source: An Interrupted Life: the Journal of a Young Jewish Woman, 1941-1943

I was reading through Inward/Outward and this quote

reminded me how I so easily become infested

with those petty fears and worries that Etty described.

Let us pray for one another's reclamation from

that which saps our energies.

(And read as much of Etty Hillesum as possible!)

Rhoda's Story

Acts 12:13-15 (The Message)

Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary's house, the Mary who was John Mark's mother. The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his voice—Peter's voice!—she was so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to open the door and left him standing in the street.

But they wouldn't believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. "You're crazy," they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn't believe her and said, "It must be his angel." All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away.

This scripture is from this morning's daily office reading. Let's raise a toast to Rhoda - a woman who stuck by her story when no one believed her. I wonder if those present apologized after they saw Peter at the door.  Whatever you are facing today, may God give you the grace and strength to stick to the truth that you know, no matter the obstacles.

untold story

"There is no agony

like bearing an untold story

inside of you."

Maya Angelou

Psalm 23, rewritten

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Savior

He calls me out of the downward spirals of life

He creates a place of calm and rest in the midst of the swirling storm

And invites me to join Him there.

He meets me in the strangest places … and faces

I do not wish for hardship, but I would not trade the pain I’ve had

Because You meet me there in surprising ways;

I get to know You better, and my heart’s capacity grows.

Your delight and enjoyment of me invite me,

and draw me out of my shame.

For I am dirty before You.

Still, You smile at me,

and give me the gift of Your Presence.

You grow a solid center within me as I am honest with You.

You honor me with gifts in my ordinary life.

You erase the shame of my dirt with Your smile

(regardless of whether I was given the dirt or created it myself)

because Your anger was spent in Jesus’ blood.

You play loose with Your own reputation by choosing me

… and yet …

You tell me You are sure of Your choice.

And I believe You.

Your pursuit of me fills me with honor.

Your pleasure in me grows my beauty.

And I want to know You more deeply and fully.

There is so much life and love to share.

- Jeanette Scott, lover of Christ, therapist & dear friend

Feast of Mary Magdalene

"It is clear that Mary Magdalene's life was radically changed by Jesus' healing.

Her ministry of service and steadfast companionship,

even as a witness to the crucifixion, has, through the centuries,

been an example of the faithful ministry of women to Christ.

All four Gospels name Mary as one of the women who went to the tomb

to mourn and to care for Jesus' body. Her weeping for the loss of her Lord

strikes a common chord with the grief of all others over the death of loved ones.

Jesus' tender response to her grief - meeting her in the garden,

revealing himself to her by calling her name -

makes her the first witness to the risen Lord."

Lesser Feasts and Fasts - 2006 p. 314

May we, like Mary Magdalene,

live as joyful witnesses to Christ's resurrection.

painting by Tanya Torres

visit her website to see her art.

This particular work is "Mary Magdalene of the Roses"

which is installed at Holy Rosary Church in East Harlem

disruptively holy

Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 7 - the story of the woman who showed great love towards Jesus by bathing his feet with her tears, followed by drying them with her hair.  Can you imagine such a disruptively holy scene?

The following prayer is from Episcopal Cafe, Speaking to the Soul by Vicki K. Black.

"Lord, remind me who I am.
When others tell me I am nothing,
Remind me that I have been made in God’s image.
When my body has been used and abused,
Remind me that I am the temple of your Holy Spirit. . . .
When people tell me that I will never amount to anything,
Remind me that I am crowned with your glory and honor. . . .


When I cannot see any way ahead,
Remind me that I carry your light within me.
When I am afraid or confused,
Remind me that I have your power, your love and your sanity.
When I feel of no use and no worth,
Remind me that I am precious to you, that you call me your beloved. . . .


When I forget who I am,
Call me by my name."

From “When I Need Reminding” by Christina Rees, quoted in Lifting Women’s Voices: Prayers to Change the World edited by Margaret Rose, Jenny Te Paa, Jeanne Person, and Abagail Nelson. Copyright © 2009. Used by permission of Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.morehousepublishing.com/

artwork from here

How I miss her!

"While we have the gift of life,

it seems to me the only tragedy

is to allow part of us to die --

whether it is our spirit,

our creativity or

our glorious uniqueness."

- Gilda Radner

got pudding?

It was on this day in 1847 that Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre was published. It happens to be one of my all time favorite books. I wonder why :)

"Women are supposed to be very calm generally; but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex." -Jane, Chapter 12