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Wednesday, September 2, 2026: Christian discipleship is by nature a very dangerous thing A Discipleship of Equals: If I am a child of God, a sister-in-Christ, and belong with all of you to the priesthood of all believers, then my job is to love, not hate, to be creative, not destructive, to follow Christ’s cross. -  Pauli Murray, To Speak a Defiant Word Speaking to the network Women’s Ordination Worldwide, Sister Joan Chittister evokes a vision of Christian discipleship that requires great courage: Christian discipleship is by nature a very dangerous thing. It has put every person who ever accepted it at risk. It made every follower who ever took it seriously on alert for rejection, from Martin of Tours to John Henry Newman, from Mary Ward to Dorothy Day. Discipleship casts every fragile new Christian community in tension with the times in which it grows.  In the early church to be a Christian community meant to defy Roman imperialism, to stretch Judaism itself, to counter pag...
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 Tuesday, September 1, 2026 A Prayer for Racial Healing From Catholic Charities Spirit of justice, in your wisdom you create all people in your image, without exception. Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of every human being.  Open our minds to understand that all your children are brothers and sisters in the same human family.  Open our hearts to repent of racist attitudes, behaviors, and speech which demean others. Open our ears to hear the cries of those wounded by racial  discrimination, and their passionate appeals for change. Strengthen our resolve to make amends for past injustices and to right the wrongs of history. And fill us with courage that we might seek to heal wounds, build bridges, forgive and be forgiven, and establish peace and equality for all in our communities. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.  
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 August 29, 2026:  "The Vatican and Women Deacons" by Phyllis Zagano I have to wonder: Had I and my all-girls Catholic high school peers seen a woman preaching the Gospel at Mass or presiding at baptisms and marriages, what impact might it have had on the formation of our faith? We will never know. Because, in Zagano's telling, members of Vatican commissions from the 1970s through the early 2000s were just personally not ready for that. In The Vatican and Women Deacons, Phyllis Zagano provides an account of the Vatican's engagement with the issue since the restoration of the permanent diaconate in 1967 and makes the case that the primary barrier to ordaining women deacons today is not theological, but cultural. Scholarship confirming the sacramental ordination of women deacons in the early church stretches back to the 17th century and has been consistently developed since that time. "It is the Church, not Jesus, which has established this ministry of service,...
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Friday, August 28, 2026:  Community, forming bonds, listening and ritual: These have always been important to the church One Saturday a month, in a central Silicon Valley neighborhood, residents stop to read handmade signs taped to poles: "Misa del Barrio. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! Neighborhood Catholic Mass. You are very welcome."   These posters advertise outdoor pop-up Masses, known as Misas del Barrio, which pair the liturgy with community listening sessions.   "Community, forming bonds, ritual: These have always been important to the church," said Fr.  Rick Rodoni, pastor of the community's parish, St. Lucy. "At the Misas, we have the opportunity to listen to each other, to offer change and to express our faith in a neighborhood, where literally, at 9 a.m. in the morning, we're singing and praising the Lord in a parking lot." At residents' request, Masses are held in low-rise apartment parking spaces, where more than 50 folding chairs face a...
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 Wednesday August 26, 2026: A Prayer for Racial Healing From Catholic Charities God of justice, in your wisdom you create all people in your image, without exception. Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of every human being.  Open our minds to understand that all your children are brothers and sisters in the same human family. Open our hearts to repent of racist attitudes, behaviors, and speech which demean others. Open our ears to hear the cries of those wounded by racial  discrimination,  and their passionate appeals for change. Strengthen our resolve to make amends for past injustices and to right the wrongs of history. And fill us with courage that we might seek to heal wounds, build bridges, forgive and be forgiven, and establish peace and equality for all in our communities. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2026:  Human and divine are not separate, but one! His life shouted it. I wonder why we so resist our same destiny.  Jesus revealed and accepted a paradox in his entire being: Human and divine are not separate, but one! His life shouted it. I wonder why we so resist our same destiny.  For most of us, this seems just too good and too dangerous to be true. There is so much contrary evidence! Many clergy fight me on this, even though it is quite constant in the Tradition. Is it because we are afraid to bear the burden of divinity?  As Marianne Williamson says: “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” [1] Maybe we realize subconsciously that if we really believed that we are temples of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16), then we would have to live up to it. The true self is the Divine Indwelling, the Holy Spirit within us. I would say that the true self is precisely the divine part of us that is great enough, deep...
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Monday, August 24, 2026: Read all about it:  Announcement #1: Stand for the Equal Rights Amendment from Victoria. Announcement #2 Sonoma County Gold Resolution for Elaine B.Holtz and Ken Norton Stand for the ERA! Equal Rights Amendment text: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the  United States or any State on account of sex." Stand with us this Wedneday. August 26, 2026,  From 12pm -1pm at the fourcorners of Main and Bodega  (Hwy 12 and Hwy 116) in Sebastopol Wherever you are across the US, wear purple, gold, and/or white for Women's Equality Day. Spread the word and help us push for the inclusion of the Equal Rights Amendment into our Constitution.  In Sebastopol, join us at noon on Aug. 26 at the fourcorners of Main and Bodega (12 and 116) for a vigil. Pass the word!  Questions? communications@nowsonoma.org Whether or not you can make it on the 26th, if you believe constitutional equality should be explicit, you can help...
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