I’m trying to read the Old Testament because I’ve never made it through the whole thing, but I keep thinking of questions! If Genesis talks about how man should not be alone and thus Eve is created, then why are priests required to be alone?
Thanks!
Karen
From a Catholic doctrine position, Genesis 2: 18-20 is part of the bigger picture regarding human nature and its origin. Looking at the bigger picture of Genesis, the individual can find some basic answers to the questions:
Who am I?
What am I?
Where did I come from?
Where am I going?
What is the intent of the relationship between the Creator and the specific creature, human?
For Catholics, the origin of humankind as being two, sole human parents is essential because the doctrines regarding an actual original sin committed by the actual first human being are tied directly to the salvific mission of Jesus Christ as
both True God
and True Man.
Genesis 2: 18-19 clearly illustrates that human nature is peerless. Why peerless?
Because human nature is an unique unification of both the spiritual and the material worlds. Humans have the ability (spiritual principle, soul) of responding to God’s invitation to share in His divine life through knowledge and love.
Because Adam cannot be confused with non-rational animals, the point is made that Eve is equal to Adam. For more detailed information, please read paragraph 369 -373, *Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition. *
link to the Catechism
scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
link to paragraph 369. One can enter the Catechism and continue reading at this point.
scborromeo.org/ccc/para/369.htm
Being a priest in the Catholic Church is one of the vocations offered to male descendants of Adam and Eve. Note that the primary vocation of all men and women descendants is to live in happiness eternal with the Beatific Vision.
Both men
and women have an equal opportunity to reach heaven after the death of their material/physical anatomies.
That being said, the Catholic Church has both the right and the duty to seek out ways that priests can best serve God through serving others. This is not on the level of the creation of the first two humans described in the first three chapters of Genesis.
Blessings,
granny
The human person is worthy of profound respect.