Extravagant Affections, by Susan A. Ross
Extravagant Affections: A Feminist Sacramental Theology.
By Susan A. Ross. Continuum, 240 pp.
A priest poses the question to a group of children: "How many sacraments are there?" Without missing a beat a little girl responds: "Seven for boys, and six for girls." The math may differ for different communions, with fewer sacraments distributed more equitably among the genders, but Susan A. Ross of Loyola University raises questions that no sacramental tradition can ignore. She posits a principle all traditions could embrace: all of life is potentially revelatory of the divine. Then Ross surveys all facets of her question: how can one construct a sacramental theology that takes the bodies of men and women as seriously as it takes the body of Christ?
Those seeking a brief on women's ordination or a primer on feminist liturgical practice should look elsewhere. Ross leaves these important issues for other writers. She begins not with "women's experience," ritual or otherwise, but by probing the heart of Christian sacramentality.
