Féile Bríd is coming ‘round again and we remember the many stories about Brigid’s generosity, especially in the area of care, often seen as a feminine arena.  One of these stories is about a girl with leprosy, whose mother brought her to Brigid seeking healing.  Never able to refuse her help, Brigid blessed some water and ordered that the girl be sprinkled with it.  When this was done the girl was miraculously cured; and we’re told that all gave thanks to God and to Brigid.  In the following centuries women’s giftedness for ministry was sidelined and only today is this ministry coming into its own.  Sr Elizabeth Johnson has written:

 “...despite women’s identity as human persons and the rich range of their gifts, their worth has consistently been subordinated and demeaned in the theories, symbols, rituals and structures of both society and church, most of which they had no part in shaping….   In the struggle for full and equal human dignity, women have glimpsed that the living God, who created women in the divine image and likeness, not only desires their flourishing, but can also be reflected in their female ways.”

(Elizabeth A Johnson, Quest for the Living God,  p.90)

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