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Why Does the Church Not Ordain Women as Priests?

Here is another question that was sent to us via e-mail:

The Catholic Church does not ordain women as priests. Why is this so and how can the Church continue in a policy that seems so unfair and at variance with the fact that most other denominations now have women ministers?

 

This question is frequently asked today and seems more urgent when, as you note, other denominations have women ministers. There is also today a stronger sense that all opportunities should be available to everyone.

 

The most immediate answer as to why the Church does not ordain to the priesthood is that the Church cannot do so. Sometimes we think today that our Church is free to do whatever she wants. But the fact is that the Church is bound to hand on what she has received. When Jesus established the priesthood, he chose from among all his many disciples (which included many prominent women) twelve men whom he named “Apostles.” This call of the Apostles is the origin of the priesthood. Jesus called only men to this office. It is hard to argue, as some do, that Jesus had to comply with the norms of his day and thus had no real choice. The fact is that Jesus broke many conventions of his time and exhibited considerable freedom in interpreting the Law. He was more than willing to engage in controversy where necessary. Jesus himself established the priesthood calling only men and the Church has no authority to overrule Jesus, Sacred Scripture, or the established Apostolic Tradition in this regard. Both John Paul II and Paul VI indicated this very clearly. Here is What Pope John Paul wrote in 1994: “Therefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.” (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, 4).  Therefore, the Church must hand on what we have received from Christ and the Apostles even if this teaching is not currently popular or in conformity with other modern practices.

As to the question of fairness, I would point out that it is possible to observe differences in regard to roles in the Church without an indication of inequality. Whatever roles individuals fill in the Church, all are equally baptized, all are equally children of the Father, and all are equal in dignity. This is what Paul wrote in First Corinthians 12:

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body… 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be… 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

Not long ago I was interviewed on CNN in a kind of debate with another priest who dissents from Church Teaching in this matter. If you wish, you can view the exchange here:

 

 

I encourage you to use the comments section if you would like further clarification of this teaching.

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Take A Guess

How many adults do you think are preparing to join the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Washington this Easter?

Post your guess and check back in with me on Monday. The winner will receive the promise of my prayer for their special request.

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Catholics-Secret Service Evangelizers

Why is it so hard for Catholics to evangelize? We say it is not part of our tradition, yet, Jesus can be heard saying “Come and see.” We say, oh, I don’t want to seem pushy, or faith is too personal. Evangelization is sharing the Good News. Who has ever heard good news and thought, gosh, I’m not going to say anything, she might feel like I’m imposing.

Shortly after I moved to Washington, I was waiting for the train at the Brookland Metro Stop. A young woman approached and asked which train went to Georgetown. I knew enough to say, there is not a direct train, but did not know what more to say and so I said “I’m new to D.C. and not sure.” And she said, “I am new to town as well, have you found a church home?” I was taken aback and looked to see if I had something on that revealed I was Catholic! I said, no, I am looking at a couple of parishes. My evangelizer replied, “I’ve found a church I really like, near Union Station, do you want to come with me?”  Hesitantly, I said, ” Well, I’m looking for a Catholic parish, but I am happy you’ve found a church you like.”   My evangelizer said, Can I have you phone number, because finding a good church is so important, I want to call you in a few weeks to see if you have found a church home.” Big hesitation on my part!  I was hooked and wanted to see where this would go, so I wrote down my phone number and name and we parted.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, my evangelizer called and said “Hi, remember we met at the Brookland Metro and talked about finding a church home, did you find one?” I said “yes, I found a parish I really like.”  She said “Praise God, my community is great as well, I’m so happy for both of us. And we said goodbye, promising to pray for one another.

Ten year later, I still pray for her from time to time because she is a model for me of the right way to do evangelization. What was not to like about her enthusiasm,  about how important finding a church home was to her settling into a new city, how her keeping her promise to check back.  She found something good and wanted to share that. What’s not to like about that?

This Lent, Archbishop Wuerl is asking us to invite a fellow Catholic whose forgotten how important a church home is one’s life, to rediscover the Mass.  Archbishop Wuerl is depending on us to share with someone why Mass is so important to us or what difference it makes in our week or whatever it is about our faith that is good news for us. My experience has taught me that even if the person says “no.” They have always appreciated that I thought enough of them to ask.

If you are reading this and you have not been with us at Mass for a little while, or a long time, ask a Catholic friend if you can join them. Trust me, that will be so grateful you did the hard part! If you don’t know a Catholic and would like to visit a Catholic church, please post that in our comment section and we will help you make that connection.

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What About Catholics and Mary?

The following came into our question box from a reader:

 

I know the Virgin Mary was the mother of Jesus but why do Catholics pray and honor her?  It sometimes seems she is equal to Jesus.

 Thanks for this question. It is our first!

Catholics often hear questions like this. Sometimes we are even told, much to our  surprise, that we  “worship” Mary and “pray to statues.” The vivid devotion that many Catholics have for Mary should not be construed to mean that we consider her to be equal to Jesus. She is not God and it is the clear Catholic teaching that to ever think of her in this way would be seriously wrong. Our Catholic teaching and belief is clear: to worship Mary would be a serious sin, for worship belongs to God alone. We do ask Mary and all the Saints in heaven to pray for us, but this is no more wrong than if I were to ask you to pray for me. Nor would doing so be a denial of the fact that I can talk directly to God on my own behalf.  

 

So what is the proper way to understand  Catholic reverence and teaching regarding Mary and all the Saints? How can such practices be properly understood and appreciated? Let us consider two things: first, to honor Mary is a very Biblical thing to do, and second, to honor and love Mary is a very Christ-like thing to do.

 

Biblical Basis – In the first place the veneration of Mary is Biblical. The Scriptures themselves describe the honor that will be given Mary. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Lk 1:48-49) Thus each time we call to mind the dignity and blessedness of Mary, we fulfill this biblical prophecy. And when we do this, we also glorify God for he alone is the source of all that is good and holy. The Blessed Mother is surely His masterwork and she herself acknowledges it. Note also that the most common prayer in which we honor Mary and seek her intercession is the Hail Mary. It is also a biblically-based prayer. The entire first half of this prayer is drawn from Scripture. The Angel Gabriel praised Mary: Hail full of grace the Lord is with you! (Lk 1:28-29) Elizabeth also praised her: Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (Lk 1:48). Thus our Catholic traditions about Mary both echo Scripture and fulfill its prophecies. And while we pray this prayer, we meditate on biblical stories about Jesus.

 

An Imitation of Jesus – We also  imitate Jesus himself when we give honor to Mother Mary. Think first about the way Jesus entrusted himself to Mary’s care. He could have chosen to enter the human scene in ways other than He actually did. Perhaps He could simply have appeared as a full grown man. Yet He did not. When God chose to enter human history He chose to do so through Mary. And not only did Jesus dwell nine months in her womb, He also entrusted himself to her ongoing care. She nursed him, sang to him, comforted him, and clothed him. In time she taught him to walk and to talk. He shared a family resemblance to her. They spoke with the same accent and probably shared many mannerisms. Mary was also present during Jesus’ public ministry and had an important influence in the working of his first miracle at Cana. She was at the foot of the cross as Jesus accomplished His greatest work—our redemption. In all of these ways, God instructs us that Mary’s role is far more than ceremonial. A truly biblical view does not downplay or minimize Mary’s role in God’s plan. Instead we seek to learn the rich meanings of what Jesus said and did in regard to Mary by His word as well as His example.  Hence when Catholics are asked why they  honor Mary a rightful answer may be, “I love Mary, I honor her and entrust myself to her care because Jesus did all these things and I want to be just like Jesus.”  

 

I hope this answer helps to answer your questions. Please feel free to comment.

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Websites to Grow By

Consider enhancing your faith in this Lenten season. There are many on-line opportunities to listen to talks and view short videos. Here are just a few. 

The daily readings of the Mass can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/nab/. 

A 3-minute video sermon based on the readings of the day can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml.

Short videos on Catholic current events, etc. can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/video/.

A short video series on the Sacraments can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/video/sacraments.shtml.

Inspirational videos of living the faith are found here: http://www.usccb.org/video/sacraments.shtml.

The Catholic Standard, the paper of the Archdiocese is on line here: http://cathstan.org/.

Why, heck, you can even listen to my own sermons which I post here in mp3 format: http://frpope.com/audio/recordings.php.

Consider some of the resources as you grow in your faith this Lent!

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A New Look

Written by: Laura Cramer

When you think of the Catholic Church, what do you picture?

Something you might not picture is a 20-something young professional female. What’s my point? My point is that the Catholic Church may be very different from the picture you have in your mind. In reality, it’s more universal, more diverse, and more relevant than it has ever been.

You are welcome in this community! The Church is full of people like you as well as people who aren’t like you at all. And that’s the beauty of it!

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10

Now let’s go back to your picture of the Catholic Church. In your mind, does the Church proclaim “good news of great joy”? Do you question doctrines, beliefs, and practices that seem like less than good news to you?

This is the place to ask those questions and get authentic answers. The Catholic Church is chock-full of good new of great joy, and hopefully that will become apparent to you through this blog.

So post your comments and open your mind to a new way of seeing the Catholic Church!

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So, What are You Longing For?

I am going to be bold and claim that I can “prove” to you that God exists, and that our desires and longings are that very proof! Think about it: your desires and longings are infinite aren’t they? When was the last time you were ever completely satisfied and needed absolutely nothing? If we’re really honest, we have to admit that our desires and longings are infinite—without any limit. But wait a minute! The world in which we live is finite; it has limits. How can a limited, finite world give us unlimited and infinite desire? The answer is that it cannot. There is an old saying in Latin: Nemo dat quod non habet (no one can give what he does not have). So we must have received these infinite, unlimited longings from that which is also unlimited and infinite. This unlimited and infinite One we call God. Have I proved my case? Let me know what you think. The world couldn’t give you these deepest longings! Only the infinite God could have done that! He exists and he has written his name on our hearts. All these desires and longings we have are ultimately pointing us to God. Consider reading the Gospel of John, Chapter 4, where Jesus meets the Woman of Samaria at the well. She comes to the well of world to satisfy her thirst. But Jesus reminds her that “everyone who drinks from this well will be thirsty again.” He goes on to teach her that He  is really the only one who can give her water that will truly satisfy her longings. In effect he says to her, “What are you longing for? Maybe it’s God!”

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Marked with the Sign of the Cross

Have you noticed that Ash Wednesday is one of the days when Catholic churches are most crowded? What about wearing ashes captures people’s imagination? The practice is so powerful that in recent years Lutherans and Methodists among others have rediscovered this ancient practice. This is even more surprising since the ashes remind us that one day–we will die.

For Catholics Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, a forty-day period of time where we examine our relationship with God. Specifically we look at the ways sin weakens our relationship with God and weakens our relationship with the people who fill our lives and our cubicles.

Really, there is more to Lent than not eating meat on Friday. When has good sushi on Friday ever made a difference in your relationship with God? Reducing Lent to “giving up something” or not eating meat is at best Lent Lite.

The three ancient practices of Lent get at the heart of what is means to be Christian and help me take Lent more seriously. In Prayer–I examine my relationship with God. Is God at the center of my life and is God getting quality time? Prayer is both listening to God and talking with God. I can always do more of both.

By Fasting–I examine myself. Do I treat the good things in life as gifts from God and gifts to be used responsibly and in moderation? Is the way I am eating and drinking contributing to good health or making it harder to live healthy. Am I looking for love in all the wrong places? Am I spending too much time in cyberspace and in a virtual world–at the expense of real relationships and real responsibilities in the real world? Fasting teaches me moderation and right balance in all areas of my life.

Through Almsgiving–I think about how I share my time, my talent and my treasure for the good of other people. Sometimes, it is so much easier to write a check or make a donation than to give up some of the time that I seem to have so little of for me, to support a cause or “be there” for a family member or friend. Jesus teaches us that the measure of our love for God is the measure of our love for others–especially the others that we don’t really like.

Make the most of these 40 days to let go of some bad habits and pick-up some good habits that in the language of faith are called virtues.

May God fill these days with his grace and mercy.