"Mary," Jesus said to her. When she heard him call her name, she responded, "Rabbouni!" Teacher.
"Go to my brothers," he said, delivering a direct commission to announce the "good news."
"I have seen the Lord," she told the disciples.
In our parish in Northern California, lay women began to preach the good news during the Sunday liturgy in 1996. The practice emerged from within the faith community. Several women had approached our pastor and spoke of the devastating lack of women's spiritual wisdom and leadership in the church for 2,000 years. We asked: Couldn't women, who feel called and are prepared, give a homily—a teaching that expands on the message of the Scripture readings and invites listeners to a change of mind and heart?
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