Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 311

Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my Son....

Today's passage from the Letter to the Hebrews reminds me of my oft-proven unworthiness to be a priest and of the choice God made through his Church so many years ago. The older I get the more I appreciate Saint Paul's analogy, we are "vessels of clay." The question of personal worthiness seems irrelevant; none could be worthy except by God's choice. And the Testaments Old and New amply demonstrate the unworthiness of the people God has chosen. 

Pope Francis recently spoke to the Jesuit publication America Magazine, about the question of women priests. Parts of it are described on the Catholic News Agency website. He does so with his typical modesty, not offering overwhelming proof of his position but rather, "something to think about." 

He reminds us that feminine spirituality, which he calls "Marian," is that of receptivity. Because no one deserves salvation -- much less, to be a priest -- and because our behavior is often unworthy even of our human dignity, we are ransomed only by receiving the grace of God. Heirs of Original Sin, we must accept his purifying grace. 

Several years ago, as I mused over the controversy around the priesthood, I wondered if there is any other grace given which belongs exclusively to a male or female person. This peculiar blessing could not disregard their sexuality; it could not be given to both men and women. The answer came: only a woman could give birth to the Savior. Only a woman could be the Mother of God. And without the human nature he received from her, Jesus could not save anyone. 

The American ethos which has pervaded cultures throughout the world would dismiss the differences of male and female. Today they tell us that one's gender might not be the same as one's sexuality. Maleness or femaleness may be a predilection like right-hand or left-hand. Or it may be a choice one can make simply to express one's freedom of choice. 

Doesn't this astonishing discovery of our time make you wonder how the greatest minds in human history could have missed it? After a million years of human development and ten thousand years of civilized life, who knew? Really?

In a society that regards male and female as interchangeable, can anyone be surprised that some children are confused? And when the culture assigns more power to men and routinely abuses women, some girls will want to become men. Especially if pregnancy is a disease and motherhood a disability.  

And then they tell us this ancient injustice! of persons born with the wrong gender may now be corrected with chemicals and surgery. And any "conservative" who opposes this quack medical industry is obviously evil. 

That mindset cannot appreciate the incarnate mystery of God becoming a man. Nor would it recognize the Immaculate Conception of Mary. It can neither appreciate the beauty, holiness, and gifts of male and female, nor add to the discussion about the priesthood. 

The Holy Father's teaching about receptivity becomes more than a modest proposal. It is the starting point of a conversation. He goes on to speak of the male spirituality as "Petrine," that is of ministry. Just as males and females complement and need one another, there can be no Petrine ministry without Marian receptivity. A word spoken without someone to hear means nothing. 

Finally, Pope Francis reminds us of what is already happening, that women are leading the church in many areas of administration. 

“There is a third way: the administrative way. The ministerial way, the ecclesial way, let us say, Marian, and the administrative way, which is not a theological thing, it is something of normal administration. And, in this aspect, I believe we have to give more space to women,” Pope Francis said. The Holy Father then pointed to the women he has appointed, noting that women generally do a “better” job managing things.

It's apparent to me that so long as society is deeply confused about the beauty and sanctity of sexuality, ordaining women would only make matters worse. It would endorse the dangerous belief that male and female are interchangeable and that sexuality means nothing.