An inclusive model of priesthood offers several contribution and challenges in renewing Eucharistic theology and spirituality. An inclusive model of priesthood means that all are welcome and included, all are invited to the table. This includes women, whether single or married, straight or gay. This inclusive priesthood reflects the communities they serve, which includes LGBT and divorced/remarried people.
This model
stands in contrast with the Catholic Church as a whole, where many are excluded.
Only males, and single ones at that, are allowed to be priests. The communities
they serve also exclude women who want to be priests, people who are LGBT and
divorced-remarried people. Many of these people still feel themselves to be
faithful Catholics, but for reasons, often not their own choice, they are
excluded from the sacraments. Being a woman is not a choice, being gay is not a
choice. It's who we are, and who we understand ourselves to be. Being divorced
is not always one's own choice. And it's not right to stay in a relationship
that is abusive and unhealthy. Why must these people pay a price for the choices
of others. They should be allowed to remarry and build a healthy life. And they
should be welcome to the eucharistic table as full members of the body of
Christ.
Having an
inclusive model of priesthood offers several contributions to renewing
Eucharistic communities. First of all by having women as priests, we recognize
the whole body of Christ and acknowledge the contributions and insights that
women bring to all the roles of service in Priesthood. It offers insights into
God as having female qualities, as one who brings to birth something new, and as
one who nurtures.
Priests who
are married or have partners, can bring to their ministry insights into
relationships and better understand people who are in relationships. These
relationships give new understandings of our relationship with God. How do we
understand God's love if we have never fallen in love? How do our human
relationships enlighten our relationship with God? How does our relationship
with God enrich our relationships with others?
Many women
priests have had children and this experience stretches us in many ways. (No pun
intended). The whole experience of pregnancy with all the health challenges that
can present, really makes you realize that you have given of yourself, even your
own body so that another might live. It gives new insight into the words of
consecration “This is my body and blood, given for you.” As children grow, they
struggle to understand their own independence. These struggles stretch parents
in their patience, their compassion, their understanding, and their ability to
love even when their child is pushing them away. This helps us understand what
it means to love like God loves us. To love no matter what, without limits, and
never give up. Parent love goes longer than the terrible twos and beyond teenage
rebellion. It never ends. God's love for us never ends either. Even if we think
we don't need God, God is always there, always calling us back, always loving.
Like the wine skins of the gospel, we are shaped by what we bear.
By having a
more inclusive model of priesthood, helps us to understand God in a wider more
inclusive way, as Mother as well as Father, as birthing and nurturing, It
changes our image of God. That doesn't mean that we are changing God. Rather we
are recognizing all the aspects of God.
An inclusive
model of priesthood seems to be more authentic to Christ's message. Jesus
welcomed everyone. He chose women and men as disciples. He chose Mary Magdalen
as the apostle to the apostles. Jesus called sinners and saints. He forgave
sinners. The inclusive model of church doesn't have a hierarchical structure. It
doesn't value symbols of power and wealth.
An inclusive
model of priesthood is committed to following conscience and obeying the
promptings of the Holy Spirit.
An inclusive
model of priesthood has it's challenges though, how to reconcile these
differences with the wider Church, should the Church ever accept women as
priests. It makes it harder, yet how could women priests exclude these other
groups if they themselves want to be included?
The Church in
Inter Insigniores, 1976, says that women with their female bodies can not image
Christ and therefore they can not be priests. But after the tragedy in Newtown,
Connecticut, Cardinal Timothy Dolan eulogized one of the teachers, Anne Marie
Murphy, and described how Christ-like she was to give her life to protect her
students. So women can
image Christ. I think that
imaging Christ means living and loving and serving like Christ did, not
something so superficial as what body parts you happened to be born with.
The Catholic
church does not accept LGBT people. But they are all God's children. Their love
and commitment to each other is a sign and witness of God's love for each other
and to the christian community. So by including LGBT people, it makes it harder
for the Church to accept an inclusive priesthood.
Accepting
divorced and remarried people is another challenge. The Church upholds marriage
no matter what, abusive or not. So anyone who divorces and remarries is
considered as living in sin and is not allowed to receive communion. Because an
inclusive priesthood allows them to receive communion, this would be a challenge
to be reconciled..
There are
some things that an inclusive priesthood sees as challenges in the Church..
These are differences between the church and and inclusive priesthood. An
inclusive priesthood is not hierarchical, is not necessarily celibate, does not
vow obedience to a Bishop, but to the Holy Spirit and their conscience.
Inclusive priesthood practices simplicity and does not look for signs of power
and wealth. It is hard to justify expensive gold altar appointments and brocade
vestments when they are serving the poor and marginalized people.
And then
there is inclusive language which offers contributions as well as challenges.
The inclusive priesthood uses very inclusive language, Where God is acknowledged
as Father and Mother, and words of power like King and Lord and rewritten to
more equal terms. The advantage of this is to be more open and inclusive of
women and all people. The Catholic Church has been working on inclusive language
since the 1970s, but moving rather slowly. And recently, some of the advances
have been rescinded. The Church struggles with changing language and still being
doctrinally correct. Regardless, some of the translations are just awkward.
There is no easy gender-neutral Mother-Father word in English. Something like
“Our Progenitor, who art in heaven...” just doesn't sound right.
I look at the
Catholic Church and inclusive model of priesthood, and wonder if Jesus showed up
today, where would he feel the most comfortable? I would like to think that he'd
feel more at home with the inclusive priesthood model of church because it is
more open and welcoming to everyone. It portrays the church more as it was in
the first centuries, before the church made rules about excluding women and
celibate priesthood, before the church amassed power and wealth.
Cardinal Dolan: Anne Marie Murphy Was Like Jesus. save-send-delete.blogspot.com/2012/12/cardinal-dolan-anne-marie-murphy-was.html
Communion of Divorced and Remarried, Colin B. Donovan, STL, http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/communion_of_divorced_and_remarr.htm
Extravagant Affections: A Feminist Sacramental Theology , by Susan Ross, Continuum, 1998
Inclusive Language: Is It Necessary? Kenneth D. Whitehead, http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=2623&CFID=29811861&CFTOKEN=25615368
by Josie Petermeier
December 26, 2012
TH565 Feminist Sacramental Theology
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