God as Unity

God is beyond human comprehension in a certain sense, but we can have a personal relationship with the Almighty. God is neither male nor female. God's revealed name is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can know something about God's nature through the Bible and Church Tradition, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in personal revelation. Yet we are still limited by human language and symbolism to grasp and articulate the ineffable mystery of the triune Godhead. If we are humble, we acknowledge what little we actually know.

As both women and men are made in the image of God, we can use language for God in both masculine and feminine terms. The truest way I have found to comprehend the nature of God is as the spiritual unity of the masculine and feminine dimensions of being. Again, God is not divided into male and female principles; God is pure spirit. When I refer to masculine and feminine principles, it is by way of analogy to our human condition and our ideas regarding the qualities typically associated with a particular gender. The creation story of Genesis and the marriage of man and woman teach that men and women together are a symbol of the sacred unity that exists in God. A man and woman being flesh of the same flesh and bone of the same bone, coming together in love and open to procreation, gives us a glimpse into the divine nature. God is the perfection of family relationship.  At the same time, both men and women are unique, equally valid images of the divine.

So when I point out that names like Ruah, the Hebrew for Spirit, and Hokmah and Sophia (Hebrew and Greek for Wisdom, respectively) are feminine in gender, that is not to say that God is a woman any more than God is a man. It is to emphasize that Elohim, the Hebrew name for God, is grammatically expressive of a divinity that perfectly contains the union of what we understand as male and female, and that this gives us a clue to follow.

To incorporate the language of Mother in reference to God, or to refer to the Holy Spirit as "she" in some cases, such as in the manifestation of the Spirit as Lady Wisdom, in no way infringes upon divine revelation. To call God both "he" and "she" simply equalizes theological language that has excluded the truth of the unity of God, that has historically been excessively patriarchal, resulting in untold damage to the psyche and spiritual life of all humankind. Not to mention the devastation of planet Earth, so often characterized in feminine terms and treated in ways that parallel violence toward women. Nevertheless, it would not be appropriate to change the revealed name of the Trinity--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Also, for the matter of consistency, the use of male pronouns for all members of the Trinity in the liturgy is perhaps more efficacious. This would not exclude, however, sermons and homilies that focus upon the motherhood of God or references to God's "feminine face", as I have occasionally heard spoken by priests at Mass. Then again, referring to the Holy Spirit as she in some contexts in order to reflect the often bridal-maternal nature of this divine Person within the Trinity would most fully characterize God as divine family unity, that which our human family unity mirrors.

 Woman Clothed with the Sun by Duncan Long

Names like Spirit-Sophia, used by Catholic theologian Elizabeth A. Johnson, point to the personification of the Holy Spirit as "Lady" in the Wisdom Books of the Bible. Holy Wisdom as "she" is not merely a grammatical coincidence; it is a full-fledged theology of the Spirit of God in bridal-maternal terms. The Holy Spirit could rightly be called the mystical "feminine nature" of the Trinity. Like all members of the Godhead, the Spirit is fully an expression of divine unity. However, the "Mother Love" of God is most clearly revealed through the Third Person. And Mary, being the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit and Mother of the Church, reveals so personally the sacred feminine in divinity. Jesus said that those who have seen him have seen the Father. Likewise, a personal relationship with Mary helps us to "see" the Holy Spirit/Sophia. This is why, especially in a heavily patriarchal culture, Marian devotion must be emphasized and encouraged, not marginalized. More homilies, hymns and prayers to Mary in the liturgy, and fuller celebrations of her feast days (that is, a return to more traditional expressions of devotion), would provide a greater balance to our community worship.

How we name things does matter. A rose by any other name may very well smell as sweet, but the name of rose brings to mind vividly what the rose is and what it symbolizes. Exclusively male terms for God do not bring to our minds and hearts the truth of God's unity or the fullness of God's love. Woman must understand that she is as complete an expression of the image of God as is man, and man must also comprehend this revelation.

Mother Mary

September 21, 2011

Last night I was having trouble sleeping, vaguely worrying about the plight of women, thinking about breastfeeding and the struggle many women have with not being supported by society, or even by family members and friends. The most natural, beautiful thing in the world, and people are uncomfortable seeing it. Nursing mothers are kicked off airplanes or asked to feed their babies in a restroom. It is a reflection of the debasing and degradation of women, of nature, of all of God's creation. Jesus was breastfed, without doubt. Inexplicably, for the first time in my life, I prayed to Mary. I prayed for peace in my heart, and I slept.

Today I was coming undone, and I ran out of the house to walk the dog. A perfect Indian Summer day. Warm and breezy, sunny, full of the promise of rest. I headed west on Jefferson Street, and before long I knew exactly where I was going--to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church on S. East Avenue. I am not Catholic. I went looking for Mary. I remembered a white statue outside the church. Was it of her? No, it was Jesus. But she was there, I knew it.

I tried the front door. Locked. I peered in the windows, saw the stained glass in the sanctuary. A sense memory. Yes, I had been here before. I don't know exactly how old I was, probably a preteen or very young teenager, when I went to mass with my best friend and her family. I had never been inside a Catholic church.  My family belonged to a conservative Protestant denomination. Mary was a part of the Nativity scene, the virgin mother of Jesus. And that was about it. We didn't pray to Mary.

I started calling for her, a little desperate. Where was she? Maybe on the other side of the church? I walked around, looked through the windows again into the social hall. And then I turned around and saw a garden, and for a moment I wondered where I was. I had never noticed it before. A painted sign said Rosary Garden, and it felt so welcoming. The garden was surrounded by a fence. I saw a white statue, and I knew instinctively it was Her. I went to the gate, and it was unlocked. Was it okay to go inside? I wanted to so badly. Then I saw a friend of mine working right next door in his backyard, and I asked him if the garden was public. Yes, it was okay to go in. I let my dog explore while I tentatively walked around, pretending to be nonchalant, and approached the statue timidly and with reverence. I knew she knew I was there. I sat at the base of an old oak tree with branches sprawling to Heaven and leaned against its trunk, right in front of Mary.

I talked to her, I prayed, I wept. I smiled. I listened, and she answered me. She was calling me all along. I understood, finally. Queen of Heaven, Mother of God. She conceived of the Christ child when the Holy Spirit descended upon her. In the Old Testament, written in Aramaic and Hebrew, the Spirit of God is named Ruah, a distinctly feminine word. Shekinah, the presence of God, is also feminine. I need to know the feminine aspect of divinity. Women, as well as men, are created in the image of God. God is neither male nor female, and God is both. God is spirit. Ruah. Sophia, the name of the Wisdom of God, who was with Him at creation. I ache for Her. The world aches for her. Mary, the embodiment of the sacred feminine.


Let It Be
 by The Beatles

WHEN I FIND MYSELF IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME
SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM LET IT BE

AND IN MY HOUR OF DARKNESS
SHE IS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME
SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM LET IT BE

LET IT BE LET IT BE LET IT BE LET IT BE
WHISPER WORDS OF WISDOM LET IT BE

AND WHEN THE BROKEN HEARTED PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE WORLD AGREE
THERE WILL BE AN ANSWER LET IT BE

FOR THOUGH THEY MAY BE PARTED
THERE IS STILL A CHANCE THAT THEY WILL SEE
THERE WILL BE AN ANSWER LET IT BE

LET IT BE LET IT BE LET IT BE LET IT BE
THERE WILL BE AN ANSWER LET IT BE

AND WHEN THE NIGHT IS CLOUDY
THERE IS STILL A LIGHT THAT SHINES ON ME
SHINE UNTIL TOMORROW LET IT BE

I WAKE UP TO THE SOUND OF MUSIC
MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME
SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM LET IT BE

LET IT BE LET IT BE LET IT BE LET IT BE
WHISPER WORDS OF WISDOM LET IT BE