Praying for Sister Susan

While I love the peace and quiet, I can only take just so much of it before I need to go find someone who will converse with me. Since I’ve been to this retreat center three times, I’ve come to know Sister Susan. She’s a feisty, down-to-earth nun and instantly bonded as fellow Packer fans. Whenever we talked, it seemed as though we had known each other for years. Before I left the hermitage a few weeks ago to return home, I stopped in to talk with Sister Susan. I had heard from Rod about the Pope’s decree regarding the Catholic women’s organization needing a representative from Archbishop’s office at their gatherings. I asked Sister Susan what she thought of that and we talked at length about the ramifications for the Roman Catholic Church as well as the climate in general regarding the rights of women in various conservative organizations.

She shared a story with me that was in the national news (I missed it though) about a nun who was a chaplain at a hospital in Texas. She was on the ethics committee that debated and decided to allow the abortion of a nonviable fetus that was endangering the life of the mother. If the mother had not aborted the fetus, both the fetus and mother would have died. If the mother had aborted the fetus, the mother would live. This woman and her husband had other children to care for. In my opinion, which was also the opinion of that ethics committee, the decision was a fairly simple decision to make. Either way, the baby would not have lived. That was a fact established by the doctors. But there was a chance to save the mother’s life, which would allow her and her husband to raise their other children together. The nun I am referring to was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. I find that to be rather disconcerting.

I pray for the Catholic Church and for the thousands of religious women who have given their lives to the service of the church caring for the least and lowliest of God’s people. How ironic that it is these people who are coming under the scrutiny of the church hierarchy.

Sister Susan fears that many women will leave their roles as nuns in the church and live out their life in the secular world, continuing to care for all God’s people but without the heavy hand of those in authority. I pray for my friend, Sister Susan, and for all women in every corner of the Christian Church who are struggling to find their place and to faithfully live out God’s calling. May they listen and follow the voice of their Good Shepherd.