Women priests

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InSearchOfGod

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I hope this is the right area for a post like this. I have a friend who goes to my church who is a girl and wants to be a priest, and is very upset that she can not do so. I’m having trouble figuring out what I should say to her.
 
Welcome to the board, ISOG. 🙂 Ask her why she wants to be a priest. I’ll bet you she doesn’t understand what a priest is or why it is a male-only office.
 
Indeed, as Della said. I don’t think she wants to be the daddy of a parish!!!
 
Maybe give her some information about Nuns and Third Orders and the like? Let her see the options open for her
 
😃 Thanks for the responses! I’ll try to work up the courage to ask her next time it comes up. I could theorize my own thoughts, but that would be putting words into her mouth, and I don’t want to do that . . . but it sure is tempting!
 
InSearchOfGod said:
😃 Thanks for the responses! I’ll try to work up the courage to ask her next time it comes up. I could theorize my own thoughts, but that would be putting words into her mouth, and I don’t want to do that . . . but it sure is tempting!
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First get a good grip on this issue yourself; make an effort to understand the reasoning behind it – hint: it won’t be a syllogistic line of thought. It is more like the reason we cannot use rye bread for the Eucharist.
 
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InSearchOfGod:
I hope this is the right area for a post like this. I have a friend who goes to my church who is a girl and wants to be a priest, and is very upset that she can not do so. I’m having trouble figuring out what I should say to her.
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Tell her that the Job God gives her is to become a Saint! Another Mother Teresa, a Clare of Assisi, an Elizibeth Ann Seton, or another Theresa of Avila.
 
Tell her the Lutheran Church ordains women daily. Could be a rebel-phase teens go through… testing the waters, what-not.
 
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InSearchOfGod:
I hope this is the right area for a post like this. I have a friend who goes to my church who is a girl and wants to be a priest, and is very upset that she can not do so. I’m having trouble figuring out what I should say to her.
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Tell her to become an Episcopalian. They’ve got girl priests coming out their ears.

Soon, they’ll be ordaining dogs and chickens to the priesthood. How inclusive. 😃
 
Dr. Bombay:
Tell her to become an Episcopalian. They’ve got girl priests coming out their ears.

Soon, they’ll be ordaining dogs and chickens to the priesthood. How inclusive. 😃
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Why chase her away from the Catholic faith? Try explaining to her that if Jesus wanted women to be priests, He would have had His Blessed Mother and the Holy Women of Jerusalem at the last supper along with the apostles. Encourage her to read good, reliable Catholic books to learn more about our faith & traditions.
 
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mercygate:
First get a good grip on this issue yourself; make an effort to understand the reasoning behind it – hint: it won’t be a syllogistic line of thought. It is more like the reason we cannot use rye bread for the Eucharist.
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To be honest, I don’t think I do have a good grip on this issue myself (which is why I’m here), except from what I’ve read. One of the purposes of mass is to re-enact the Last Supper, and Jesus was not a woman. However, I’m sure there are other reasons as well.

I think (okay, here I go, putting words into her mouth, but I’m going to do it anyway) she feels she cannot be a priest because it is the church’s decision (which its actually God’s decision, right?), and she feels she’s missing something by not being able stand up there holding the eucharist and giving homilies (I’m sure she wouldn’t mind giving homilies at all).

Anyway, I know I should learn more about it myself regardless. 🙂

(I don’t think she’ll be changing religions any time soon . . . 🙂 )
 
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paramedicgirl:
Why chase her away from the Catholic faith? Try explaining to her that if Jesus wanted women to be priests, He would have had His Blessed Mother and the Holy Women of Jerusalem at the last supper along with the apostles. Encourage her to read good, reliable Catholic books to learn more about our faith & traditions.
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Well, I would certainly hope no one would actually take my advice. I have no tact. 😦
 
Dr. Bombay:
Tell her to become an Episcopalian. They’ve got girl priests coming out their ears.

Soon, they’ll be ordaining dogs and chickens to the priesthood. How inclusive. 😃
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PETA would be proud !!!
 
you might want to remind your friend and any like-minded young women, that Jesus Christ instituted the sacrificial priesthood, and He alone “made up the rules” when He did it, and He handed on His authority to do so to the Church He founded. Since He chose only males as priests, the Church does not have authority to change His mind for Him. This is the infallible declaration and teaching of the Church.

The only persons who should be ordained as priests are those whom the Holy Spirit has called. Since the Holy Spirit is the protector and guide of the Church, protecting it from error, He would never call someone to the priesthood who is barred from serving by an unchangeable condition, such as gender. Therefore any female who feels she is called to the priestly vocation is mistaken, and urgently needs spiritual direction to discern those feelings. The Holy Spirit would never call anyone to a state or action which contradicts infallible Church teaching, given by Jesus Christ, and handed on by the apostles and their successors.
 
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InSearchOfGod:
One of the purposes of mass is to re-enact the Last Supper, and Jesus was not a woman. However, I’m sure there are other reasons as well.QUOTE]

The Mass IS NOT a re-enactment of the Last Supper. The Mass is a participation in the ONE saving action of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Paschal Mystery, which comprises as one historical event the Last Supper, agony and passion, crucifixion and death, entombment, resurrection, ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit. Through the action of the priest, who acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ Himself), that event is made sacramentally present, and all of us participate in that event.

If one of us feels we are “missing out” by not taking a priestly role–preaching, consecrating, presiding–or another ministerial role–lector, reader, minister of communion, cantor etc.–than we have a very inadequate notion of the meaning of full, active participation in the Mass. Everyone there, when engaged in doing what the ritual calls for at the moment-listening, responding, praying, singing, posture, attentiveness, receiving, communicating, meditation etc.-- is fully, actively participating, and fully present in this sacramental, sacrificial action.

The root of your friend’s dilemma is misunderstanding of the ontological nature of the priesthood, and of the Mass itself, both of which can be cured by proper catechesis and receptivity to the Christ-given authority of the Church.
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If God had wanted priestess in the Church She would have been more explicit in scripture.
 
Thank you Joan for the links! 🙂
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puzzleannie:
The only persons who should be ordained as priests are those whom the Holy Spirit has called. Since the Holy Spirit is the protector and guide of the Church, protecting it from error, He would never call someone to the priesthood who is barred from serving by an unchangeable condition, such as gender. Therefore any female who feels she is called to the priestly vocation is mistaken, and urgently needs spiritual direction to discern those feelings. The Holy Spirit would never call anyone to a state or action which contradicts infallible Church teaching, given by Jesus Christ, and handed on by the apostles and their successors.
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I guess this kind of spins off into another topic . . . how can you be sure what the Holy Spirit is telling you, and how do you tell someone “that’s not the Holy Spirit talking to you” when they believe it so much?

Thanks for your replies! As I said, I’m here to learn about my own faith (can I even call it “faith” if I don’t know what it is completely? :eek: ). 🙂
 
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InSearchOfGod:
Thank you Joan for the links! 🙂

I guess this kind of spins off into another topic . . . how can you be sure what the Holy Spirit is telling you, and how do you tell someone “that’s not the Holy Spirit talking to you” when they believe it so much?

Thanks for your replies! As I said, I’m here to learn about my own faith (can I even call it “faith” if I don’t know what it is completely? :eek: ). 🙂
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as Paul and the other apostles tell us, we must discern spirits, that is, discern with the guidance of the Church, whether calls to vocations, manifestation of the gifts, or other “inspirations” are truly from the Holy Spirit, from within one’s own heart and mind, or from the evil one. We do not discern on our own, but with the mind of the Church, with the guidance of pastor or spiritual director for individuals, or with the guidance of bishops for matters that affect the wider church. discern means to test, to evaluate, to judge.

I can firmly believe that God is calling me to be a ballerina, but if I lack the basic pre-requisites for ballet dancing–physical attributes, talent etc., then it is not likely God is calling me, it is much more likely that the wish comes from my own inner desires. As I said before, the Holy Spirit will NEVER call someone to do or act against the teaching of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, because it is He whom Christ sent to protect and guide the Church.
 
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puzzleannie:
as Paul and the other apostles tell us, we must discern spirits, that is, discern with the guidance of the Church, whether calls to vocations, manifestation of the gifts, or other “inspirations” are truly from the Holy Spirit, from within one’s own heart and mind, or from the evil one. We do not discern on our own, but with the mind of the Church, with the guidance of pastor or spiritual director for individuals, or with the guidance of bishops for matters that affect the wider church. discern means to test, to evaluate, to judge.

I can firmly believe that God is calling me to be a ballerina, but if I lack the basic pre-requisites for ballet dancing–physical attributes, talent etc., then it is not likely God is calling me, it is much more likely that the wish comes from my own inner desires. As I said before, the Holy Spirit will NEVER call someone to do or act against the teaching of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, because it is He whom Christ sent to protect and guide the Church.
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Thanks for the response! This makes sense to me. 🙂
 
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