Why doesn't God want women to be priests?

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Of course not. My example was an analogy. JimG says it more succinctly: Jesus was male, hence those taking His place, can only be male as well.
 
That may indeed be part of it. But whatever the reason God chose, the fact remains ‘The Church has no authority to ordain women.

No more does it have the authority to determine that valid matter for the Eucharist is beer and tortillas, or rice cakes and sake, etc. No more does it have the authority to determine that marriage can be between two men, or two women. No more can it determine that Baptism is only symbolic and not salvific, or that Jesus was not part of the Trinity, or that there are not three Divine persons in One God, or that Jesus did not really die on the Cross, etc. Etc.
 
Raxus said:
MasterHaster:
How and when did He do this?
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Through Jesus, with the Apostles.

Jesus had no issues with going against the norms of his day when it came to doing what he needed to do; if women could be priests, we would have had them from the start. But we didn’t, and they can’t, just as men can’t be nuns.

It’s a matter of matter; the Sacrament of the priesthood requires a man in the same way that the Eucharist requires specific bread.
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The matter of Holy Orders is the laying on of hands. The subject of Holy Orders is a baptized male.
 
OraLabora said:
The best argument IMHO: the priest acts as “persona Christi” at the altar and in sacramental confession.
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I’ve been hesitant to post in this thread (being a woman minister who’s on the doorstep of Rome and all). Women and the priesthood is something I’ve been struggling with for some time. But to me too, this is the most compelling argument.

Men can act in persona Christi. If I try to do the same, I become, at the very best, a metaphor or a symbol for Christ – which is not at all the same, and has serious consequences on how one understands the sacraments.
 
Lea101 said:
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PeterT:
Yet those who seek women priests always do so because they view the priesthood as a position of power and not of humble service
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How do you know? It seems pretty uncharitable to generalise it this way. There are Catholic women who are drawn to the priesthood albeit misguided. I know some who reluctantly stepped back and is dealing with the struggle internally, and others who mistakenly believe there’s an error. Not all of these women want ‘power’, the same way how not all male priests are there to serve but some are there for power (and in the worst cases, access to children).
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By listening to them on TV and reading their quotes on the internet.

TV networks have routinely interviewed women who want to become priests (especially when a pope is visiting the U.S.) and these women — on their own — often mention in the interview one of the reasons they want to become priests is so they can share in the power that male priests have.
 
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I was thinking of this in the context of the Theology of the Body. I must confess that I admire the OP, or anyone, wanting to tackle this issue. I have tried, but like so often with “why” questions, I find myself woefully ignorant. I am no Doctor of the Church, but suspect St. John Paul will one day receive that title.

I do see a lot of gaps in the arguments above. I do not think that is a bad thing. It is simple humanity. It is a good reason to thank God for the gift we had of having such a brilliant Pope for so long.
 
very good read:

www.catholiceducation.org

Why Can't Women Be Priests?

1. Why doesn't the Church allow women to be priests? I know plenty of women who could give a more moving homily and be more understanding in the confe...
www.catholiceducation.org www.catholiceducation.org
 
OddBird said:
I’ve been hesitant to post in this thread (being a woman minister who’s on the doorstep of Rome and all). Women and the priesthood is something I’ve been struggling with for some time. But to me too, this is the most compelling argument.
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I would love to hear more about your journey. You always bring a good deal of insight to these discussions–thank you for participating. Being a former evangelical leader, I know how lonely ministry can be and I admire your candour and search for Truth.
PeterT said:
By listening to them on TV and reading their quotes on the internet.
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Lol, that is not the best sample population, nor is it representative of women seeking ministry leadership positions.
 
My thoughts:
Scott Hahn said it best the New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old is revealed in the New. Another way that it was expressed to me is that the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New.
Every Sacrament has its beginnings in the Old Testament. That includes Holy Orders. God made Aaron a priest. He didn’t make his sister a priestess even though it was a common thing among their neighbors. Why? I don’t know. God I don’t believe has ever said. When Jesus came He did so to fulfill the Old. He only chose men which would be consistent with the Old. Why? He didn’t say.
 
PeterT said:
By listening to them on TV and reading their quotes on the internet.

TV networks have routinely interviewed women who want to become priests (especially when a pope is visiting the U.S.) and these women — on their own — often mention in the interview one of the reasons they want to become priests is so they can share in the power that male priests have
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You said “always”, so I’m just asking how you know that.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Here’s an article from a former woman priest in the Episcopal Church,
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IMHO, the arguments she gives are weak and can be easily counter-argued. Times are changing as we see from the fact that in the USA, said by some to be the greatest country in the world, the speaker of the House is a woman, the latest Supreme Court nominee is a woman, and if Joe Biden is elected, but unable to serve his entire term, the President of the USA would be a woman.
 
OraLabora said:
Of course not. My example was an analogy. JimG says it more succinctly: Jesus was male, hence those taking His place, can only be male as well.
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Correct. As with anything else, this boils down to your Christology.
If you believe Christ is “The Main Spirit Dude”, none of this matters and we can be whatever we want.

If you accept revelation, which reveals Jesus of Nazareth, true God and true man, born of a real woman, in time and space…then the body is integral.
Right?

In Christian theology, humanity is a unity of body and soul. Body and soul are an integrated whole. The body is not a throwaway. So to be “in persona Christi” means something concrete in relation to how we are made. And it has nothing to do with temporal power or domination, or the value of one’s vocation.
 
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hope said:
I would like to see some of those counter-arguments.
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I am not saying that i agree or disagree with women priests, or with women giving the Communion Service, but I don’t think it is difficult to find the counter arguments to the arguments given in the link. For one example:
10. A female at the altar blurs the biblical distinction between life and death.
Already the Catholic Church has women at the altar, giving the readings. In fact at a papal Mass with Pope John Paul II, there was a woman naked from the waist up giving the readings. There is a service called the Catholic Communion Service, and I have been to one of those which was said entirely by a woman who was at the altar. There were no priests or men around or near the altar, and I didn’t see any blurring of the distinction between life and death with a woman at the altar giving the Communion Service. If there is a blurring between life and death when a woman is at the altar giving the readings, or when she is at the altar giving the Communion Service, then why does the one, true, Roman Catholic Church allow it, even in papal Masses?
 
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AlNg said:
If there is a blurring between life and death when a woman is at the altar giving the readings, or when she is at the altar giving the Communion Service, then why does the one, true, Roman Catholic Church allow it, even in papal Masses?
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There is a distinction that you are missing, The examples you give readings, and communion service do not involve the consecration of the Eucharist. I am not sure if I believe in what she states as life and death but I believe to follow her argument you would have to say that the consecration of the Eucharist would be death and conducting a service or reading would be more in line with life.
 
AlNg said:
There is a service called the Catholic Communion Service, and I have been to one of those which was said entirely by a woman who was at the altar.
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I think what is meant by “being at the altar” here is celebrating the Eucharist. There is no celebration of the Eucharist in Communion services. Pre-consecrated hosts are used.
 
OddBird said:
I think what is meant by “being at the altar” here is celebrating the Eucharist . There is no celebration of the Eucharist in Communion services
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hope said:
The examples you give readings, and communion service do not involve the consecration of the Eucharist.
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AFAIK, there is no valid consecration of the Eucharist in the Episcopal Church.
In any case, if there were a woman at the altar, everyone still knows the distinction between life and death. Death is when the person is buried six feet under, and life is when the person is walking, eating, drinking water, playing tennis, reading the bible, and talking to his neighbors. Regardless of whether there is a woman at the altar or not, everyone in their right mind still knows the distinction between life and death.
 
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Interestingly women ministers in Protestant denominations which don’t regard ministers as priests are not annoying. They are not laying claim to an un-thing.
 
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