Women's role in the Church

[777]

I don’t think it’s right that the bible, let alone church prayers to use only male pronouns in regards to ordinary people, be it Catholic or Jew, Gentile or pagan, sinner or otherwise. didn’t St. Paul say there is neither Jew nor Greek, free nor slave, male or female, for they were all one in Christ Jesus. Women do more than give birth, do housework and cook–they CAN do their part in the church, as well as the gospel–as nuns, mother superiors, church office workers and what not. Had it not been so, there would be no nuns, no Mary Magdelene, no mother Mary, no Veronica, no Mother Teresa–etc. Just because women can’t be priest, monks and apostles (and so forth), doesn’t mean they can’'t do their part for the church as nuns and what not. Put simply: Stop ignoring women, ok?

 

[Busybee]

777:

I don’t think it’s right that the bible, let alone church prayers to use only male pronouns in regards to ordinary people, be it Catholic or Jew, Gentile or pagan, sinner or otherwise. didn’t St. Paul say there is neither Jew nor Greek, free nor slave, male or female, for they were all one in Christ Jesus. Women do more than give birth, do housework and cook–they CAN do their part in the church, as well as the gospel–as nuns, mother superiors, church office workers and what not. Had it not been so, there would be no nuns, no Mary Magdelene, no mother Mary, no Veronica, no Mother Teresa–etc. Just because women can’t be priest, monks and apostles (and so forth), doesn’t mean they can’'t do their part for the church as nuns and what not. Put simply: Stop ignoring women, ok?

I don’t understand this thinking. Perhaps I’m too old. When I went to school and studied English, we were taught that in the “English language” words such as: mankind, man etc. were inclusive words that included both men and women. All people.

Of course life was too simple then so…The radical feminist agenda changed all that. Now we have to have all kinds of inclusive language.

Including Ms. which I object to, I am Mrs. and not ashamed of it.
But that’s a whole other story!

 

[Thomas2]

God bless the poor Sister who feels she needs to be a man to be someone. I’d suggest therapy, but most modern therapists would agree with her and only add fuel to her pyre. I’d rather be a first-class woman than a second-class man. God made me female and I don’t doubt He knew what He was doing when He did so.

On a different level, the men Jesus called had a certain role to fulfill and I thank God they did their best to do so. So did the women, but it was different from the men’s. Mary is the example par excellance of this.

We each have a part to play in God’s plan and becoming the person He meant each of us to be is the whole ball of wax. The beauty God see’s in me as I am is good enough for me. All things are fulfilled in Christ. Trying to run from that Truth is futility. Some have big things to do and some small, but each is important in God’s plan. I hope Sister finds this out before her days are done on this earth so that perhaps she may feel fulfilled in at least some small way. What a poverty.

Peace and all good,

Thomas2

 

[Tantum_ergo]

777, be careful.
The post about “mankind” etc. was excellent.
But here’s a little history for you. You know how when we hear the letters from Paul for our readings in Mass, you’ll hear: “Brothers and Sisters” instead of “Brethren”–because, of course, "brethren was held, in the dear old 60s and 70s, to be SOLELY referring to men and ignoring women.

Guess what. That very inclusive “brothers and sisters” is wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s tampering with Scripture. Because Paul did NOT WRITE to his “brothers and sisters” as though he were some CEO today. Men and women, like it or not, had defined roles. When Paul was writing, he WAS writing to brethren. When his particular writings referenced women, such as Dorcas and Priscilla, he mentioned Dorcas and Priscilla, without thinking that he would have to start every single paragraph with “brothers AND sisters”. . .and Dorcas and Priscilla were, surprise, just FINE with that. Not because they were repressed under a patriarchical, women-hating society. . .but because they were humble in the REAL sense of the word. The “brethren” were humble, too. Many of these people would die martyrs’ deaths. Many of them would suffer great physical or emotional distress at the very least. Being “mentioned” by name or even by gender was not their criteria for being “important” as a follower of Christ. What a concept! Submitting themselves to Christ and striving to work with and LOVE each other EQUALLY–and that doesn’t mean with forced-sounded “inclusive language” or regimented, “We have one MALE reader so we need to have a FEMALE reader too in order to have BALANCE”. IMO.

Please, have pity on those of us who want our word of God to BE his word, not whatever is politically correct, “inclusive”, watered down, “inoffensive”, “easily understood”, “user friendly” etc.! God is my FATHER, Jesus is my BROTHER, and what all of us in MANKIND need to do is listen more and talk less. And on that note I will speak no further in this message, save to say,

In HIS peace and love.

 

[BayCityRickL]

It seems like people should define their terms more clearly, to sort through the issues. That is what the kind gentlepeople have done in the preceding posts, largely.

I am a male and I wanted to become a priest and it never happened. I was always summarily dismissed by my pastor or whoever I went to consult about this matter. I never pushed the matter further, because I felt I had been rejected by the people who would have had to make a recommendation to go any further.

the point is, very few men make it into and through the gauntlet of challenges and hurdles to becoming a priest. Women who are looking for their role in the church 1) should refer to the preceding posts, and 2) should recall that most men in the Church have roles that are as vaguely defined as women’s roles.

I think that what we all might dislike about the Church is the feeling of powerlessness, especially when we see what are apparently arbitrary exercises of power, or a lack of accountability in various situations.

For example, the misuse of power by priests in abusing minors and the lack of accountability of bishops for covering up the problem for decades. And, these are simply the most extraordinary examples in the church.