A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES HEBREWS 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us.
COMMENTARY
As I think about it, I chose a pretty dumb title for this blog. Of course they are a PLUS. Where would the Church be without Mother Mary, Mother Teresa, St. Therese, the Little Flower, Saint Faustina, St. Bernadette. St. Joan of Arc, and St. Clare of Assisi to name a few women in the “cloud of witnesses.”
Jesus’ Mother Mary is the greatest saint in Heaven. She is the woman who asked Jesus to perform His first miracle at Cana John 2:1-11 that began His public ministry. Our mothers are praying for us right now because that is what mothers do.
I guess I chose the title because I wanted to be provocative and call attention to the malingering problem of clericalism in the Church and its hierarchy. I am addressing clerics who might still be putting off women and encouraging women themselves to continue to persevere despite sometimes being offended by the insensitivity of some pastors. In the words of St. Peter, “Lord to whom shall we go!” John 6:68
There are certainly passages in the Old and New Testament that could be interpreted as painting women as less than equal to men. But that was in a culture thousands of years ago in the Middle East. We would have a better understanding of women’s place in God’s kingdom (Church) by focusing more on Jesus’ interchanges with women in the Gospels.
JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN AT THE WELL
While there are remnants of clericalism and patriarchy today that may offend and separate women from feeling welcome, Jesus, himself, did not discriminate against women but engaged them in His Public Ministry: Jesus raised the widow’s son at a funeral procession in Nain Luke 7:11; Jesus healed the woman suffering years of blood loss Mark 5:24-34; and forgave the Woman caught in adultery John 8:1-11 without any discrimination. Breaking the sexist and racial customs of his day, Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, offering her “living water” John 4:5-42.
Jesus was not a sexist. As God, He was incapable of any sin, including any sin against women. Not everyone in the Church, including the hierarchy has lived up to His example all the time. To the degree that a Christian treats women in a discriminating or exploitive way, they separate themselves from Jesus Christ. Jesus treated women with openness, respect, acceptance, and tenderness. In this way he honored the dignity that women have always possessed according to God’s plan
WOMEN MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS
Over 85 percent of those responsible for altar preparation are women. Over 75 percent of adult Bible study leaders and participants are women. Over 85 percent of those who lead or assist in ministries designed to help the poor, visit the sick, comfort the grieving, and minister to the handicapped are women.
If the Catholic Church were pervasively misogynistic, it is impossible to imagine that such intelligent, accomplished modern women would remain members, let alone dedicate their services to the institution.
Women are smarter than letting a few clericalist in the Church separate them from Jesus and His Sacraments.
PAUL LETTER TO EPHESIANS
Women have a particular problem with St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 5:22-25 that talks about wives being subordinate to husbands, kind of a poor way to put it for 21st century folks. But Paul is really not placing women in a slavish role to their husbands but trying to compare a marriage couple to the Church the bride, and Christ the bridegroom. The key verse is verse 25, “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her.”
The Catholic tradition holds that individual passages in the Bible should be read in a way that accords with the overall message of the Gospel. Early Church Fathers such as Saint Augustine said that Scripture can be rightly interpreted in a variety of ways, but that any understanding of a passage that undermined love of God or love of neighbor ought to be rejected.
The reservation of priestly ordination to men is perhaps the sorest spot among contemporary critics that claim, the Church discriminates against women. Are women less holy than men, of course not, less intellectually capable, the same answer, of course not.
The Catholic Church teaches the proper recipient of Holy Orders is a baptized male as Jesus is. I know those who favor “gender bending” and choosing your own gender will have a problem with that answer. BUT get over it. God determines gender not man!
Church teaching explains the restriction of its ordination to men: Masculinity was integral to the personhood of both Jesus and the men he called apostles. The Church sees maleness and femaleness as two different ways of expressing “human nature.”
While on earth, Jesus ordained only men, Women were among the earliest and most courageous followers of Jesus, yet he did not call them to be among the Twelve. Even his own Mother, who according to Catholic belief is the greatest human person in all of history, was not among the Twelve nor ordained a priest.
Jesus’ Church today cannot go beyond Jesus. Some will argue it is a cultural thing. We don’t live in First Century Middle East. But as I stated earlier Jesus was not bound by the usual social norms and broke them all the time. Other religions had priestesses as well.
Back in Jesus’ day, Women did teach converts (Acts 18:26), have liturgical responsibilities (Rom 16:1), and act as prophets (1 Cor 11:5) and co-workers with the apostles (Phil 4:3). As noted earlier, these services to the Christian community continue to the present day
Before leaving the issue of ordination, a few words on today’s discussion of women deacons in the Catholic Church. Certainly women would be capable and a welcomed assistance in ministerial services.
POPE FRANCIS CALLS FOR COMMISION TO STUDY WOMEN DEACONS
Pope Francis is calling for a commission as a next step in discerning wisely and carefully in alignment with Catholic tradition, the creation of a female diaconate. Some may argue there were women deaconesses in the early Church but it is not definitive whether they were ever ordained by the laying on of hands (Holy Orders.) But more an acknowledgement of their special service to faith communities.
In fact, one of the earliest Councils of the Church, Council of Nicea 325, declared women deacons were laywomen. Pope Francis is certainly willing take on new challenges but Francis has also shown he is bound by his understanding of the tradition to not contradict the teachings of the faith.
We will have to see what the commission finds and how Francis reacts. It is not an easy change to make but after Vatican II married men were accepted into the diaconate, controversial at first, but now is readily accepted.
There are silver linings that women may be ordained deacons of the Church one day. First, unlike the ministerial priesthood, there is no long standing papal encyclicals or Church Councils that would prohibit the ordaining of women as deacons.
Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 clarified canon law to hold that deacons are not acting in the person of Jesus Christ like priests. With this clarification, the diaconate is considered a separate ministry from the priesthood and the diaconate is not per se held to be only for men or those acting in the (male) person of Jesus.
Women would bring fresh insights and life experiences into the ordained leadership of parishes. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has added male deacons and female altar servers, who have contributed a great deal to the faith; after a few initial murmurs, there are few who wish to eliminate these changes.
CONCLUSION
The bottom line is this most saints in heaven are not ordained clergy. The layperson can participate actively and fully in the Church as a layperson, and may they do so with vigor and zeal! The Spirit bestows different gifts on different people.
As the First Letter to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 12:12) indicates, just as the human body has different members and each member a different purpose, so, too, the various parts of the body of Christ have many missions, prophets, teachers, healers, helpers, administrators, all essential, valuable, and vital for life of Church, Christ’s Body.