December 19, 2021: Mary & Elizabeth - A History-making Relationship with Dr. Nontando Hadebe

Preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Dr. Nontando Hadebe offers a reflection on the history-making relationship between Mary and Elizabeth and its power for women today:   "There was another power operating in the most unlikely place - that is in the lives of these two women from an oppressed nation who had no significance, status or power. The two women had no male presence or authority to mediate their experiences for them; they were left on their own to make sense of the extraordinary events that were happening in their lives. Left to themselves, they discovered their power borne out of their relationship with God and with each other to face with courage, resilience and faith the uncertain future that lay ahead of them."   Dr. Nontando Hadebe is a lay woman theologian and International Coordinator for Side by Side, a faith movement for gender justice. She was previously senior lecturer at St. Augustine College of South Africa. A member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, she is passionate about gender equality, Africanization, and social justice.   Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12192021 to learn more about Nontando, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.