Below is a prayer for women’s equality, written in the Celtic style. Celtic prayers heavily utilize repetition and rhyme, and in both content and form these prayers emphasize the Trinity.
I wrote it at a time when I was attempting to understand my pastoral giftings and my womanhood. Too often, I have felt that USAmerican culture values a woman’s role as mother more highly than any other contribution she may make to society. Having come from a church with all male pastors and being a Divinity program, at the time, in which all the other students were men, I had very little imagination for being both female and pastoral. Those themes are heavy in this prayer; I hope it serves you well in whatever your struggles are today.
A Prayer for Women’s Equality
“By a woman and a tree the world first perished.”
I wish, O Son of the living God,
eternal, ancient King,
for reconciliation between the sexes,
that I might answer your calling.
I pray, O Son of the living God,
eternal, ancient King,
for –
I wish –
that –
Mother, Child,
Goose of the Wild,
Keep me from despair,
Hear my prayer.
I pray, O Child of the living God,
eternal, ancient Queen,
for compassion in men’s hearts
that they could view women as clean.
I strive, O Child of the living God,
eternal, ancient Queen,
for a new paradigm, not princess or bitch,
that views women as strong and not mean.
I hope, O Child of the living God,
eternal, ancient Queen,
for society to know women have worth
after their children are weaned,
or at least after the age of eighteen.
I long, O Child of the living God,
eternal, ancient Queen,
for rest within the body that is me,
that I may be serene.
Questions for You
What are your hopes and prayers for women in 2016? What are your concerns?
