Exploring the Feminine Side of God

Rev. AndreaGrace and the BeLoved Community pray together every Sunday at 10 AM ET in a variety of ways - through word, music, meditation, visio divino and more. We learn from and pray with both the Saints (canonized) and saints (holy people) using inclusive language and images. 

These highlights from our service on May 10, 2026, Mother's Day and the 6^th Sunday Easter Cycle A, are shared here as a resource for your prayer, reflection, and continued spiritual practice.  

On Mother’s Day, we explored the feminine side of God. In Genesis, we read that we are created in God’s image – male and female, so God must have a feminine side. 

Communion of Saints

Mechtild of Magdeburg, Germany lived from (1210-1280). She was a Beguines. Beguines were lay women who lived in communities, following Jesus’ example of serving others – but they did not take vows of religious communities. Mechtild was a mystic and prophet who described God as creator, mother, and birther.

Theresa of Avila

Lived from March 28, 1515 to October 4, 1582 

She was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.

She is a Doctor of the Church – meaning she has taught us a lot about God, think Ph.D.

She is the Patroness: of Headache sufferers and [Spanish] Catholic Writers 

One of her favorite lines: “Let nothing disturb you.”

Pope John Paul I

Lived:  In northern Italy from October 17, 1912 through September 28, 1978, serving as Pope for only 33 days

Birth name: Albino Luciani to Giovanni Luciani and Bortola Tancon. He took his Papal Name, John Paul, from Pope John XXIII who opened Vatican II and Paul VI who closed Vatican II

Accomplishments: He wrote a lot of documents about God and living as a Catholic.

He is known as The Smiling Pope.

Expanding Our Understanding of the Trinity

• God our Mother, El Shaddai

• Jesus – Word Incarnate

• Holy Spirit – Ruah

  
  

Music

• A contemporary version of the traditional prayer, Come Holy Ghost 

  • In the Hebrew Scriptures, in Genesis, we read that “Ruah” – God’s Spirit hovered over the earth. Ruah is a feminine word – that expressed what is now called the Divine Feminine. Along the way, “Ruah” became “Spirit” and then “Holy Spirit” and “Holy Ghost,” part of what we Christians call “The Trinity.” There is a traditional prayer, Come, Holy Ghost that has been set to music. This is a contemporary version.

• Bobby McFerrin’s Psalm 23.

  • Many of us are familiar with Psalm 23 about a shepherd who provides and protects… and we probably envision a male shepherd. Bobby McFerrin help us to envision Mother God as a shepherdess. Let’s listen and pray.

• On Eagle’s Wings by Michael Joncas

  • There is a famous Catholic hymn, On Eagle’s Wings, written by Michael Joncas. It is based on Psalm 91.  Some fun facts about eagles: 

  • Female eagles build their nest THEN voice that they are ready to mate. 

  • They spend more time on the eggs then their male partners – because they are larger than the males.

  • They protect the little eaglets, especially through the night when predators are most likely to strike. 

  • When a mother eagle senses that the baby is ready to fly, she gently pushes it out of the nest and flies under it, supporting the eaglet on her back. Then, she drops away so the eaglet can spread his wings. The mama eagle continues to fly below – at a distance – ready to swoop in if necessary. 

  • Let’s put the refrain to the song in the Divine Feminine: And God will raise you up on eagles' wings / Bear you on the breath of dawn / Make you to shine like the sun / And hold you in the palm of Her hand. Let’s pray with the song and the image of God, a Mother Eagle

• Never Alone by Lady A. 

  • Imagine that our BeLoved God is singing this song to you

    
    

Opening Prayer

Oh Beloved God – We come to you, thinking of our moms and all who have mothered us – and all whom we’ve mothered in so many ways. Thank you for all of these people – and our experiences with them – which together, have shaped us. 

We Pray For:

• All of the BeLoveds in this community…   and

• All the women who want to be moms…

• All the moms who are struggling for whatever reason, especially those who are juggling family and work…

• All the women and men who support us, especially our dearest friends…

• All the women who have lost children…

• All the women who are sick and can’t care for their families…

• All the women who “mother” our children – especially teachers…

• All of the little girls in our lives – may they grow up to be amazing women living for You… and our sons, that they may grow up and grow old supporting women

• All those who have asked us to pray for them and

• All those who have no one to pray for them

Today, please open our hearts and minds to explore Your feminine side. Through this service, may we know your love more intimately and be transformed to share it more abundantly. Amen. 

Transformation Rite

Our Beloved God – we come to you today, recognizing that we are both human and holy. 

• For all the times we’ve denied our femininity: Beloved God, thank You for Your mercy.

• For all the times we have shamed or hurt our bodies, Jesus thank You for Your mercy.

• For all the times we have held resentments against those who have put us down: Holy Spirit, thank You for Your mercy.

Sisters and Brothers – Jesus came to give us new life and to liberate us. Our sins are forgiven. The ties that bind us are loosed. God’s mercy and forgiveness endure forever. Amen.

Readings

1. Our Mother and Her Dove.  It’s been said that “the winner is the one who writes history (or his-story).” As we’ve been exploring, The Bible is a compilation of stories written from men’s perspectives and compiled by men. There is a traditionally “masculine” lens used which clouds our vision. Unfortunately, we don’t even realize it. As the poet Carol Lynn Pearson wrote: 

"Here’s what they did, the monks who

translated to please the powers that be

and the powers were he.

At the stroke of a quill the Hebrew “she”

became the Greek “it” and then the English “he”

and no one cared as the bright

feminine words fluttered to the cold floor

like clipped wings of a dove"

Let’s listen – this got posted recently on Rev. AndreaGrace’s Instagram account.

2. Reading from our Judeo-Christian Scriptures: El Shaddai is an ancient Judeo term for G-d. It’s often translated as “the God who is powerful and almighty.” However, Hebrew scholars are now teaching us that the correct translation of “El Shaddai” is “the God with breasts who is enough!’” The first few times that we read about El Shaddai in Genesis – it is always in reference to childbearing. Let’s take a holy pause to imagine what El Shaddai – Our God with Breasts Who is Enough might look like. 

Genesis 17:1-2, 19: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, El Shaddai appeared to him and said, ‘I am El Shaddai, walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers… I am El Shaddai. It will be so because I have said so and I am El Shaddai.’

Genesis 48:3-4: “Jacob said to Joseph, ‘El Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there El Shaddai blessed me and said to me, “I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers.”

Isaiah 49:15-17: Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I’d never forget you—never. Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands.

From the 1 Letter of Peter 2:2-3:  You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s spiritual milk. Then you’ll grow up to be mature and whole in God.” 

3.  Writings of the saints

Mechtild of Magdeburg taught: “God is not only fatherly. God is also mother who lifts her loved child from the ground to her knee. The Trinity is like a mother’s cloak wherein a child finds a home and lays its head on the maternal breast.”  

St. Teresa of Avila, Spain, wrote in the Interior Castle: 

“For from those Divine breasts where it seems God is always sustaining the soul, there flows streams of milk bringing comfort to all people.”

Pope John Paul 1 taught: “We are the objects of undying love on the part of God. We know: God has always her eyes open on us, even when it seems to be dark. God is our father; even more God is our mother. God does not want to hurt us, God wants only to do good to us, to all of us. If children are ill, they have additional claim to be loved by their mother. And we too, if by chance we are sick with badness, or on the wrong track, we have yet another claim to be loved by the Lady.” 

4. Gospel: Today, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, many husbands and children are preparing breakfast for the treasured women in their lives. Jesus also prepared breakfast for his disciples after the Resurrection. You can read about it in John 21:1-14.

   

Rev. AndreaGrace’s Reflection

I remember sitting in a circle with my college chaplain, a progressive sister, my first year of college. She was holding up a coffee-table book with images of earth and telling us that God had a feminine side. That in all of creation, the male and female energies are needed to co-create. I thought she was CRAZY – absolutely crazy! 

Then, I transferred colleges, and my next chaplain spoke of using gender-inclusive language during Mass and prayer services, the way we needed to use gender-inclusive language in our papers for classes. She also reinforced that we are created in God’s image – so if we are women and feminine, God must have those characteristics, as well. My mind was slowly opening to what is called The Divine Feminine – the Feminine Side of God. 

As my journey continued, I began to learn more about the Divine Feminine images in The Bible and in Judaism, from which Catholicism evolved. In time, I dipped my toes in the water of exploring images of God as mother and titles like “Mama God.” 

It wasn’t until I was on a retreat where God invited me to spend the week with her as Mama God with a Divine Womb, that it all really clicked for me and I was able to have a relationship with the feminine side of God. 

In uncovering and rediscovering the Divine Feminine, we affirm women’s divinity. Finally, women are able to find a holy image of ourselves in God, in the One whose image we were made.

Let’s remember that God is alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, and everything in between. As we’ve discovered, God is in nature and each of us.  God is both masculine AND feminine AND so much more! 

Prayer Exercise – God as a Compassionate Mother

Imagine God as a compassionate mother with breasts and a womb. What might She look like for you? How might you draw her? This week, I invite you to draw a picture of her (first-grade-stick-figures are just fine!) OR search the internet for images of “compassionate mothers” or “women who have delivered babies” or “women nursing babies.” Does one touch your spirit? 

Eucharistic Liturgy

Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” As we transition to our Eucharist liturgy, let us pray…

On this Mother’s Day, we come before you with thankful hearts.

We thank you for the women who gave birth to us and raised us.  

We thank you for our grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and sisters 

Our faith-filled ancestors

All of the women who have mothered us and showed us the way – Your Way – 

All the women who have prayed for us and 

Those who have been instruments of Your healing and grace in our lives.

We thank you for all of the men who have supported us and continue to support us

The men who encourage women and respect them and 

The men who teach our sons to respect women and 

Those who raise our daughters to be wonderful women.

We thank you for calling Mary to be the mother of Your Son.

We thank you for her example of humility, faith, service and strength.

We thank you for placing your Son within a family – not on a regal throne but in a humble family.

We thank you for Mary’s husband, St. Joseph and for the example they set for us.

Read our standard prayers here.

Final Blessing

Be blessed my sisters and brothers

with knowing God in new and wondrous ways

with a willingness and ability to explore the motherly side of God

with being nourished and healed by El Shaddai 

with celebrating the divine in our female bodies.

Be blessed with a grateful heart

and a heart that can recognize and share our joys and sorrows

with God and others.

Be blessed with a circle of love that surrounds and nurtures you in every way – 

one that is with you through the highs and lows and in-between of life’s journey 

Be blessed with the graces you need to become all that God has dreamed for you

Be blessed with joy that is your strength

with peace that surpasses all understanding

with hope that anchors you

Be blessed with knowing God’s love more intimately and being transformed to share it more abundantly.  

And Mother Mary, pray with us 

that we may become more like you,

carrying Your Son into our world and showing Your Son to all whom we meet – in word and deed.

Be blessed in the name of God-El Shaddai, Jesus – The Word Incarnate and the Holy Spirit – Ruah. Amen. 

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