A few weeks ago, an email arrived in my inbox with news that was disappointing and, if I’m honest, hurtful. Our tour operator sent the news that the Catholic Church in Galilee was no longer allowing women pastors to celebrate the sacrament of communion on their sites.
This is not the first time this has happened and I doubt it will be the last. Many in our diverse Christian family won’t allow pastors from other faith traditions celebrate in their holy places. When you add the contentious theological layer of women’s ordination, the prohibition is neither new nor surprising.
What made this particularly painful is the fact that the requested site, Magdala, is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and features the names of key biblical women in the rotunda as you enter. The synagogue-like chapel boasts the dramatic image of the woman with the flow of blood reaching to touch the edge of Jesus’ tunic. What made this surprising is that I have celebrated communion at Magdala on my last three pilgrimages without any problem. The warm welcome I had previously received was now withdrawn.
As we drove up to Magdala, I was aware of a lingering bitterness that comes with unjust exclusion. To my surprise, my friend, Hermana, was there acting as our host. She is a mystic of sorts and her joy buoyed my soul. She encouraged me to write off the prohibition to the old priests that run this place. Even so, I continued to feel the bite of women’s marginalization as we walked the site.
Our next stop was the Local Baptist Church in Nazareth. What a delight to be with this vibrant congregation for Sunday worship. To my surprise, I was asked to spontaneously speak. In all my visits here, I have never been asked to speak in an Arab church. Women pastors are not a category many people understand or accept. You can’t imagine my delight, particularly in light of the earlier visit to Magdala. My heart softened as I knew this was a small sign of God’s validation to me.
Fast forward to the next day when in Nablus, a conservative city in the northern part of the West Bank, we visited the well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman. This is one of my favorite churches in all of Palestine. Father Justinius, the presiding orthodox priest, built this church and painted all of the icons that adorn the walls. I’m always drawn into the peace of this place and enjoy the many, many icons that feature stories of women in the bible.
Knowing it was against all the rules, I pressed Iyad to ask the priest if we could celebrate there in one of the pocket gardens. My expectations were low but I thought it was worth a shot. When Father Justinius said yes, the caretaker, Jamal, insisted we ask again. He was quite sure that Iyad had misunderstood. And when the good father said yes again, Jamal responded, “A protestant? A woman? This has never happened!”
As I prepared the elements, I sensed an unexpected deep joy rising within. As we began our brief service, we contemplated our deeper thirst that only Christ’s living water can quench. As we shared Christ's sacramental gifts to us, I was overwhelmed by the sense of God's overflowing love for me. Only God could have moved the heart of Father Justinius to make such an unprecedented exception. God’s sweet and tender gift bestowed by this dear Abuna helped me drink deeply from the sweet and clear well of God’s unending grace.
This is not the first time this has happened and I doubt it will be the last. Many in our diverse Christian family won’t allow pastors from other faith traditions celebrate in their holy places. When you add the contentious theological layer of women’s ordination, the prohibition is neither new nor surprising.
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| The Mural at Magdala |
As we drove up to Magdala, I was aware of a lingering bitterness that comes with unjust exclusion. To my surprise, my friend, Hermana, was there acting as our host. She is a mystic of sorts and her joy buoyed my soul. She encouraged me to write off the prohibition to the old priests that run this place. Even so, I continued to feel the bite of women’s marginalization as we walked the site.
Our next stop was the Local Baptist Church in Nazareth. What a delight to be with this vibrant congregation for Sunday worship. To my surprise, I was asked to spontaneously speak. In all my visits here, I have never been asked to speak in an Arab church. Women pastors are not a category many people understand or accept. You can’t imagine my delight, particularly in light of the earlier visit to Magdala. My heart softened as I knew this was a small sign of God’s validation to me.
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| Father Justinus |
Fast forward to the next day when in Nablus, a conservative city in the northern part of the West Bank, we visited the well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman. This is one of my favorite churches in all of Palestine. Father Justinius, the presiding orthodox priest, built this church and painted all of the icons that adorn the walls. I’m always drawn into the peace of this place and enjoy the many, many icons that feature stories of women in the bible.
Knowing it was against all the rules, I pressed Iyad to ask the priest if we could celebrate there in one of the pocket gardens. My expectations were low but I thought it was worth a shot. When Father Justinius said yes, the caretaker, Jamal, insisted we ask again. He was quite sure that Iyad had misunderstood. And when the good father said yes again, Jamal responded, “A protestant? A woman? This has never happened!”
As I prepared the elements, I sensed an unexpected deep joy rising within. As we began our brief service, we contemplated our deeper thirst that only Christ’s living water can quench. As we shared Christ's sacramental gifts to us, I was overwhelmed by the sense of God's overflowing love for me. Only God could have moved the heart of Father Justinius to make such an unprecedented exception. God’s sweet and tender gift bestowed by this dear Abuna helped me drink deeply from the sweet and clear well of God’s unending grace.
Hi Debbie, thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm enjoying now reading some of your thoughts on this land. I hadn't realised that it was once possible for women to preside at Magdala. I've had a couple of groups led by female priests/pastors who have come to St Andrew's to hold their service because they were turned away at Magdala. It's very hurtful indeed. But praise God for the people who honour and affirm our ministry. Moments of grace indeed.
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