Lydia's Purple

How women can help Build God's kingdom

- Rissa Singson Kawpeng

I’m used to being a rose among thorns when it comes to my ministry life. I belong to a Light Group made up of male builders of the biggest districts in Metro Manila and one retired leader named Bo Sanchez. I’m the only woman preacher among the whole caboodle who is not a preacher’s wife. During the days when there weren’t as many builders as we have today, I’d often be asked to fill in the big shoes of these great, holy men when they can’t make it to their Feasts. I still do it now and then. It’s both nerve-wracking and humbling to be on the same stage they stand on.

I share this with you not to boast but to illustrate that no matter how capable and gifted a person is, and no matter how big and established a ministry is, there is always something we can contribute.

A few years ago, I was having lunch with Cardinal Chito Tagle and some other priests when our conversation drifted to the topic of female priests. The hot news then was the issue of whether the Catholic Church should ordain women. The cardinal was explaining the Church’s stand, and I agreed with him. As a married woman, I said that I was thankful that our builders at The Feast were male. The demands of ministry necessarily chewed away at the time these men had for their families, so it was a good thing they had wives who would be there to care for the kids.

I’m not saying that our children don’t need the presence of their fathers. (They do—more than ever.) But again, what we see is the importance of the different functions we serve, which are different but complementary. And when we do carry out our respective roles and give what we can based on our gifts, the outcome is more than the sum of our parts.