L
Lazerlike42
Guest
I am going to try to answer the question on women’s ordination, but first I am going to give this link: peterkreeft.com/audio/09_priestesses.htm
After you have read my answer listen to the audio recording there, because it will introduce some points that go far beyond what I have said and will address what I have said in a way that is probably easier to understand.
When it comes to this issue, the first thing that has to be looked at is the idea of masculinity and feminity. Now in our modern minds, we tend to think of masculinity as being a word used to describe things that are like men, or that share qualities of men, and femininity is a word used to describe things that are like women or that share qualities of women. The problem is that that is the complete opposite of how things really work. Masculinity is simply quality of being, one that is abstract and not based on tangible things. In other words, things aren’t called masculine because masculinity is like men: men are called masculine because they are like masculinity.
In its most fundamental aspect, the quality of masculinity is the quality of transcendance, while in its most fundamental aspect, femininity is the quality of immanence. To be transcendant from a thing is to be beyond and seperate from a thing. To be immanent is to be within and in some way united with a thing. That is why the gender of a species which creates the offspring and then steps back is called the male. The father of a child plays his part in the conception, then he steps back and is seperate and beyond the child. Throughout human history the father has also played in many ways a more transcendent role after birth in that he has been the one beyond the child, the one in a different world, out working and setting rules and so forth. The gender of the species which are immanent with the child are called female. They are feminine. The child is with them for nine months, living inside the mother. The child then feeds directly from the mothers breasts, and throughout human history the mother has been the primary caregiver, the one involved in raising the child. We see this in our language, too. We call ships “she” and “her” instead of “him” and “he” because we are immanent with them - we ride inside them.
Now God is called “He,” He is the “Father,” because He is masculine. He is transcendant - beyond the world, seperate from it. This hits at the very reason we have male priests. We have male priests because the priests are standing in the place of God. The action of sacrificing Christ belongs only and exclusively to Christ Himself - to God. Priests are merely standing in for Him as that sacrifice is offered. Priests have to be male because they have to be masculine because they are standing in for God who is masculine. The act of sacrifice to God is a transcendant act because God Himself is transcendant. By its nature, any act that attempts to offer something to a transcendant God must be itself transcendant, because that act must “leave” the world, it must transcend the world, and go to God who is outside of the world. A transcendant act is by its nature masculine, because transcendance is the funamental quality of masculinity. By definition, feminity is immanent, not transcendant.
This is why, for instance, when you had the ancient pagan religions that worshipped idols, they had priestesses. An idol was a statue that was not believed to represent a god, but to literally be a god. An idol was a god that was literally in the world. Any act of sacrifice to an idol would be immanent, because it would stay in the world. The god was right there - there was nothing to transcend. God, however, is outside of the world, so to reach to Him is to transcend the world. That is why, as Dr. Kreeft says, having priestesses is not a matter of deciding how we should worship in our religion - it is literally and actually a completely different religion. The differences between priests and priestesses is the difference between a God who is not in the world, who is beyond it, above it - who created it, and having a God who is in the world - who is part of the world, and by nature of being in the world cannot have created it, or else He would have created Himself, which obviously makes no sense.
If we believe that God created the world, then by definition, by nature, inevitably, we must have masculine priests. We must have priests that sacrifice transcendently, that the sacrifice may transcend our world and reach to God who is outside of and beyond the world - who created it. If we have priestesses, then we have immanent sacrifices which by definition, by nature, inevitably remain in the world, and therefore what we sacrifice to must be in the world, and cannot have created it.
That’s why we don’t have female priests.
After you have read my answer listen to the audio recording there, because it will introduce some points that go far beyond what I have said and will address what I have said in a way that is probably easier to understand.
When it comes to this issue, the first thing that has to be looked at is the idea of masculinity and feminity. Now in our modern minds, we tend to think of masculinity as being a word used to describe things that are like men, or that share qualities of men, and femininity is a word used to describe things that are like women or that share qualities of women. The problem is that that is the complete opposite of how things really work. Masculinity is simply quality of being, one that is abstract and not based on tangible things. In other words, things aren’t called masculine because masculinity is like men: men are called masculine because they are like masculinity.
In its most fundamental aspect, the quality of masculinity is the quality of transcendance, while in its most fundamental aspect, femininity is the quality of immanence. To be transcendant from a thing is to be beyond and seperate from a thing. To be immanent is to be within and in some way united with a thing. That is why the gender of a species which creates the offspring and then steps back is called the male. The father of a child plays his part in the conception, then he steps back and is seperate and beyond the child. Throughout human history the father has also played in many ways a more transcendent role after birth in that he has been the one beyond the child, the one in a different world, out working and setting rules and so forth. The gender of the species which are immanent with the child are called female. They are feminine. The child is with them for nine months, living inside the mother. The child then feeds directly from the mothers breasts, and throughout human history the mother has been the primary caregiver, the one involved in raising the child. We see this in our language, too. We call ships “she” and “her” instead of “him” and “he” because we are immanent with them - we ride inside them.
Now God is called “He,” He is the “Father,” because He is masculine. He is transcendant - beyond the world, seperate from it. This hits at the very reason we have male priests. We have male priests because the priests are standing in the place of God. The action of sacrificing Christ belongs only and exclusively to Christ Himself - to God. Priests are merely standing in for Him as that sacrifice is offered. Priests have to be male because they have to be masculine because they are standing in for God who is masculine. The act of sacrifice to God is a transcendant act because God Himself is transcendant. By its nature, any act that attempts to offer something to a transcendant God must be itself transcendant, because that act must “leave” the world, it must transcend the world, and go to God who is outside of the world. A transcendant act is by its nature masculine, because transcendance is the funamental quality of masculinity. By definition, feminity is immanent, not transcendant.
This is why, for instance, when you had the ancient pagan religions that worshipped idols, they had priestesses. An idol was a statue that was not believed to represent a god, but to literally be a god. An idol was a god that was literally in the world. Any act of sacrifice to an idol would be immanent, because it would stay in the world. The god was right there - there was nothing to transcend. God, however, is outside of the world, so to reach to Him is to transcend the world. That is why, as Dr. Kreeft says, having priestesses is not a matter of deciding how we should worship in our religion - it is literally and actually a completely different religion. The differences between priests and priestesses is the difference between a God who is not in the world, who is beyond it, above it - who created it, and having a God who is in the world - who is part of the world, and by nature of being in the world cannot have created it, or else He would have created Himself, which obviously makes no sense.
If we believe that God created the world, then by definition, by nature, inevitably, we must have masculine priests. We must have priests that sacrifice transcendently, that the sacrifice may transcend our world and reach to God who is outside of and beyond the world - who created it. If we have priestesses, then we have immanent sacrifices which by definition, by nature, inevitably remain in the world, and therefore what we sacrifice to must be in the world, and cannot have created it.
That’s why we don’t have female priests.
I have picked up most all that I have learned about the faith from reading the Bible and lots of other books and writings. One AWESOME source was 
There are quite a few (naughty) Catholics who believe that women should be ordained, and some who believe that homosexual people should be allowed to marry. You are not the only one to disagree.
