Daughters of Rome, take off your robe of mourning and misery;
put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
bear on your head the mitre
that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
you will be named by God forever
the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.

Up, Daughters of Rome! stand upon the heights;
look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Driven away by their abuser-priests they left you:
but God will bring them back to you
borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
be filled to level ground,
that God’s chosen people may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
have overshadowed God’s chosen at Her command;
for God is leading Her chosen people in joy
by the light of Her glory,
with Her mercy and justice for company..

On this welcoming table our Wisdom God of divine love
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this table She will have no poison, no spoiled food
that sickens all peoples.
At this table she will have no privileged men
hoarding the feast, spreading their self-righteousness
like an evil web entrapping all.
She will destroy death and death-dealers forever.
Wisdom will wipe away
the tears from all faces.
The reproach of Her people She will remove
from the whole earth; for Wisdom God has spoken.

On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is Wisdom for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that She has saved us!”
For our generous God will welcome all to Her table.

I imagined saying to Jesus, “Healer, the men in Rome lie paralyzed and your church suffers greatly.”

And Jesus said, “I will come and heal my church.”

I responded, “Lord, they are not worthy to have you come within their ornate churches. For they have silenced, abused and excluded many. But I am a mother, Lord, like our Mother God, and I know what it is to be disappointed in your children and still love them. For myself, I would ask you to send a Sampson to bring it all down about their heads. But I know your Mother-love is wiser than my hate.”

Jesus answered, “Who then would you have me send?”

And I replied, “Lord, all around me I see strong women of deep faith. They cry out in your name but the men of Rome refuse to listen. Send them, Lord, to heal your church. For with you, Lord, with their faith in our Mother God, with their compassion for the abused and excluded, with their love for your church, with you, Lord, they can heal your church. Here they are, Lord, faithful and strong but silenced and hurting. Send them, Lord, and go with them.”

And Jesus replied, “I see them. I know them. On all the altars of all those ornate churches, in all the fine robes and raised golden cups, I do not see such faith, such strength and persistence. Like the widow before the unjust judge, they do not cease to cry out for justice. You need to understand, our Mother God and I have sent them, I am with them.”

“I tell you, many who were abused and silenced, many who were excluded and cast out, will sit with me at the banquet of our God with Sarah, Hagar and Keturah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel, Miriam, Deborah and Ruth, with my mother Mary and Mary Magdala, with all my beloved women, with the abused and the ignored. And the men of Rome shall see the wisdom and the honor of women. And the men of Rome will weep and gnash their teeth and tear their fine vestments. Their eyes will be opened and they will see their folly.”

And Jesus said to me, “Until then, daughter, find comfort and strength in each other and in our Mother God.”

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead
and ruler of the sovereigns of the earth.
To him who loves us,
who showed us love’s conquering power over sin,
who has made us into a kingdom,
priests for our God who is Mother and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Behold, God is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see God,
even those who pierced God’s heart
by abusing and silencing those God loves.
All the peoples of the earth will lament with God.
Yes. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says our Sovereign God,
“the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”