Nameeta Renu

"We want to be treated as equals not only theoretically, in dignity, but also in church ministry," writes Sr. Nameeta Renu. She suggests the understanding of holy orders as reserved for men could be expanded. 

Unfortunately, today, it is challenging to engage in a conversation with a mixed group of people without noticing ideological and religious intolerance and polarization.

Would it help if the vestiges of women's participatory roles in the ancient churches were simply copied and pasted into contemporary contexts? How about fresh perspectives, instead?

I feel disheartened seeing our vocations being manipulated by patriarchal, misogynist and sexist elements. Isn't consecrated life meant to raise our spirits to heaven and expand the horizons of our mission?

"Conversation in the Spirit through listening and dialogue is the mission of the synodal church today," writes Nameeta Renu, a member of the Order of Consecrated Virgins in Bombay. 

St. Hildegard of Bingen and St. Teresa of Ávila both worked for reform in contexts of moral corruption and laxity. Their teachings on prayer and other topics are relevant for all times, including our polarized era.

I've never been able to separate the meanings of Christmas-Epiphany and Holy Week narratives in the Bible. One always reminds me of the other.

Is silent prayer about praying amidst a peaceful external environment, or does it mean being silent within? Is it merely about keeping one's mouth shut or about listening?

Why does Paul seem to contradict himself when he insists that women in Corinth should have their heads covered for praying and prophesying publicly in their liturgical assemblies? 

As the ratio of females to males shifts among India's Christian population, we cannot ignore sociological factors contributing to the rise or decline in vocations. But isn't vocation basically "God's call"?

"The bride of Christ" was one of the titles given by early Christian church fathers to the church itself and virgin martyrs. Yet these titles had various theological underpinnings and nuances. Were they always sound and healthy?

If someone could design a working bicycle with square wheels, then how about trying to "reshape" our thinking about the future of consecrated life itself?

Today, new religious acquaintances express amazement and curiosity about my vocation in the Ordo virginum, often requesting more information and exchanging numbers so we could become friends. Is the Spirit inspiring us?

Although we often tend to be dualistic in our thinking by seeing a dichotomy between the "sacred" and the "secular," both belong to the same reality, and the secular is also sacred.

Will opening the possibility of holy orders to women resolve the church's crises?

We've all been talking a lot about synodality. But I've been reflecting whether the church has been journeying over the centuries in the right direction, according to God's will.

As a child, I believed the huge church bells were special alarm bells to wake God up from sleep. When I grew up, it was Jesus who woke me up when I was tempted to close my eyes to what was happening in the world.

Old Testament descriptions of the word "nephesh" as "wide jaws and open mouths" evokes the painful images of suffering COVID-19 patients.

Perhaps a new paradigm of consecration that is radically creative and relevant could bring a springtime of vocations in every existing and new form of consecrated life.

We draw our life-sap through the roots of our faith in Jesus Christ. Will the church realize its beginnings with greater understanding and become a protagonist and witness of women's liberation?