The Church teaches that women cannot be priests because of the example set by Jesus in selecting the apostles. So why are women allowed communion?

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Jesus selected only men as apostles. This is taken to indicate that he did not want women to be priests or bishops. He gave his body and blood only to men. Why does this not indicate that women should not receive communion?
 
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Well, that’s not the only indicator of an all-male priesthood. The main indicator I would say is the fact that Christ is a man, and one cannot act fully as another Christ as is required for holy orders if one is not even the same gender as him.

But, in regards to why women can receive communion when only men were present at the Last Supper, when Jesus said to go baptize members of all nations, nations include women. And if those who do not eat His flesh and drink His blood do not have life within them, then He would be unilaterally denying women salvation, which would not make sense for such a merciful God (especially in regards to His own mother).
 
Fauken said:
And if those who do not eat His flesh and drink His blood do not have life within them, then He would be unilaterally denying women salvation, which would not make sense for such a merciful God (especially in regards to His own mother).
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Yes but he was talking to a men-only gathering. Maybe only men should do this to have life in them. And I think the Catholic view is that Mary did not need to be saved, as there was never anything to save her from.
 
FiveLinden said:
Yes but he was talking to a men-only gathering.
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Where in John 6 does it say that?
FiveLinden said:
And I think the Catholic view is that Mary did not need to be saved, as there was never anything to save her from.
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That is incorrect. Mary herself acknowledges God as her savior in her Magnificat. In her case, Christ’s timeless sacrifice was applied to her at her conception to keep her from sin at birth.
 
That’s apples and oranges. Plus, Mary Magdalene was always hanging around.
The Apostles were all male in a male dominated society. The scriptures, though written in a male oriented society, has specifically mentioneale priests. It is a church rule. Realistically, if priests keep declining, God will change hearts of church to change rule. For example: altar boys and GIRLS.
Communion was rec’d by all genders in first church.
In Christ’s love
Tweedlealice
 
You mistake the Catholic view regarding Mary. Mary herself says, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiceth in God my savior.”

As an analogy, there are two ways to be saved from a car wreck. One is to be rescued after the accident. The other is to be prevented from it in the first place. (This would include maintaining a street worthy vehicle, looking both ways, etc.).

In like fashion, Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin and thus was saved from sinning.

The rest of us are saved from the effects of sin, that is, damnation, by the power of Christ’s death on the cross.
 
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tweedlealice said:
has specifically mentioneale priests.
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I don’t think so. The presence of Mary Magdalen does not indicate a female priest.
tweedlealice said:
It is a church rule. Realistically, if priests keep declining, God will change hearts of church to change rule. For example: altar boys and GIRLS.
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Now that is apples to oranges. Holy Orders is a sacrament that can be conferred only on men and only men. Altar serving is not a sacrament, but a volunteer role. This is not a rule (I think you meant discipline), it is doctrine. It cannot change. The Church does not have the power to change what Christ has mandated: Roma locuta est, causa finita est!
 
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I wasn’t saying Mary Magdalene was a priest. She was an avid disciple. I do feel, if God led the church to admit women to the priesthood b/c of need, the church would do so. I, also, feel it is a non-issue, I hope.
So, altar girls are a discipline. Remember the Eucharist, being served by priests only. Then, we advanced to female and male laity as Eucharistic ministers.
Some things are fluid. Scripture routinely is not to be challenged.
We have nuns, who run communion services in small parishes w/o a permanent priest.
It’s sad.
In Christ’s love
Tweedlealice
 
When the Gospels were written, women had been admitted to Communion for decades. There was no need to explicitly mention it in scripture.

Similarly, the priesthood was understood to be modeled after God the Father’s relationship with God the Son. This was so ingrained in early Christian culture, there was no need to explicitly document it in Scripture.

Scripture was written to discuss only those issues that were unclear. The issues everyone already agreed on did not need to be clarified.

The Gospel of Luke for instance makes this clear:
Introduction

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
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Luke, in writing to Theophilus, is addressing the issues of specific concern to the recipient. Christ gave us Luke to clarify those concerns.

Today, we have very different concerns than the people of 60AD. That is why Christ gave us the church to continually address these new concerns.
 
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tweedlealice said:
I do feel, if God led the church to admit women to the priesthood b/c of need, the church would do so. I, also, feel it is a non-issue, I hope.
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God wouldn’t. It is not possible. It is against the very nature of what Holy Orders is.
tweedlealice said:
So, altar girls are a discipline. Remember the Eucharist, being served by priests only. Then, we advanced to female and male laity as Eucharistic ministers.
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That is completely different from confecting the Eucharist.
tweedlealice said:
We have nuns, who run communion services in small parishes w/o a permanent priest.
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That is not equivalent to a Mass, nor a precursor to nuns being ordained.
tweedlealice said:
It’s sad.
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I agree that the priest shortage is sad. But the Church cannot and will not ordain women.
 
Well, I have no problem w men as priests. I prefer it.
Now, I do know, though I did not specify, that the Eucharist given by laity and nuns in communion services are already confected(?). Smaller word.
Transubstantiated.
In Christ’s Love
Tweedlealice
 
Fauken said:
That is incorrect. Mary herself acknowledges God as her savior in her Magnificat. In her case, Christ’s timeless sacrifice was applied to her at her conception to keep her from sin at birth.
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So she had nothing from which to be saved from the point of her existence.
 
There are only male priests because the priest acts in Persona Christi. Jesus was a man, so only men can act in persona Christi.

Women receive communion because Jesus came to save sinners (all of us).
 
LumineDiei said:
Why do you think it was a men-only gathering? Yes, just men were seated at the table, but do you honestly think there weren’t women around serving them?
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Well I’m just going on what it says, just like Catholics do when saying that Jesus chose only male apostles. The Gospels list only men, but there could have been women too, that the Gospel writers did not write about.
 
FiveLinden said:
So she had nothing from which to be saved from the point of her existence.
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Not quite. St. Thomas Aquinas goes into detail about it than I can give and I don’t think I can explain it well. I know he explains it here, but I can’t remember what he means by animation (I think it’s before a body is given a soul?). A Thomistic expert is welcomed to clarify and correct me.
 
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Oh, I see. You’re talking about the Last Supper. I was referring to the Bread of Life discourse that foreshadows the Eucharist.
 
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