++Rowan, a positive note on women bishops?

Rowan Williams, I believe, is hoping to go out of office on a positive note. To this I would not object. Please read the Church Times article below to hear his new view on women bishops in the C of E.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has begun a campaign to persuade General Synod members to back the new women bishops legislation when it returns to debate it next month.

The following article by Williams was published in the Church Times on Friday, Oct. 19.

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No-one is likely to underrate the significance of November’s debate on women bishops in General Synod. It will shape the character of the Church of England for generations – and I’m not talking only about the decision we shall take, but about the way in which we discuss it and deal with the outcome of it.

Those who, like myself, long to see a positive vote will want this for a range of reasons which have to do with both the essential health of the Church and its credibility in our society. They are keenly aware of living with a degree of theological inconsistency.

As Anglicans we believe that there is one priesthood and one only in the Church, and that is the priesthood of Jesus Christ – his eternal offering of himself, crucified, risen and ascended, to the Father to secure everlasting ‘covenanted’ peace between heaven and earth. To live as ‘very members incorporate in his Body’ on earth is to be alive with his Spirit and so to be taken up in his action of praise and self-offering so that we may reflect something of it in our lives and relationships. To recall the Church to its true character in this connection, God calls individuals to gather the community, animate its worship and preside at its sacramental acts, where we learn afresh who we are. The priestly calling of all who are in Christ is thus focused in particular lives lived in service to the community and its well-being, integrity and holiness – lives that express in visible and symbolic terms the calling of a ‘priestly people’.

Read the rest of his statement here.

Back to posting...

Ok, it has been A WHILE since I last posted but I've been somewhat at a lost as to what to post about...I could talk about being a chaplain at the hospital, or as a hospice volunteer, or as a member of Rotary and what we are up to there...

I could post about going through some more of my mother's things and parting with some while treasuring others, like the little notes she always used to write to me and stick in drawers, or my lunch when I was a kid, or between pages of a book to find at some later date...I keep them in a cookie jar she made...I'm running out of room in that cookie jar but they are sweeter than any cookie that could ever be stored there...there are days I miss her terribly and others where I laugh at finding an old picture and wonder "Did I really look like THAT?" in disbelief.

I could talk about clearing the scrap lumber from the back yard and cleaning deadwood out of the 60 year old English laurel hedge and the butterfly bushes, and taking it all to the Jackson County Fuel Lot where the wood is cut up for kindling or firewood for low-income folk who cook or heat only with a wood stove or fireplace...I made 6 pick up truck load runs this summer for the warmth of others in TheMartinaN...or how about the extra produce from my garden going to friends so they can still enjoy fresh, organic tomatoes this late in the season; the acorn squash are ripening nicely...then there was tapping beer at the Oktobrfest in historic Jacksonville as a Rotary volunteer helping with the festivities...getting to know my brews was the lesson of the day...

Of course there are always kitty cats to talk about...Tawny Tom aka Kitteh Boy, is still here, and just as sweet as ever...The Girl Cats, Rumi and Pabla, are as independent and occasionally cranky; I'd be worried if they weren't. There are enough catnip mice around the house to form a small regiment....There are days I wish for a dog but that isn't quite possible yet financially. I do take advantage of the therapy dogs at the hospital when I come across one, and get my doggy fix that way.

I am still waiting for the motor vehicle accident settlement of two years ago, today, in fact. My first attorney walked out on the case, to my complete surprise, but I have another one who is making more progress in the last two months than the other one did in over a year...I would really like for all of that to be over by the end of the year...please God!

I am still pursuing my call to the priesthood but even with a priest that finally gets it and supports my call, the way is slow, baffling and tedious. There is suppose to be a discernment committee formed but communication is a problem with all concerned and frankly, I'm more than a bit miffed about it. The affirmations I have received from members of my parish and the hospital, and from hospice, all point to my work and ministry converging to affirm and reaffirm my calling to sacramental orders, but the worldly aspects are full of pitfalls and disappointments. The right hand is clueless to the left hand's doings. Again, it's about a lack of communication. I will persevere however; I will not be diverted from my call.

So I guess, I could pick one of those things to write about, but since I've basically given a summa of things Catherine, that will do for now...