1 Corinthians 14:34: As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, even as the law says.
This is one of the verses that made the new disciplines regarding women readers, servers, and extraordinary ministers so problematical. Even now, officially installed Lectors and Acolytes must be men. It may have been that women were taking over leadership positions in Corinth or that there was some tie to the nonsensical babble that pagan women and goddess worship employed. In any case, the priesthood was then and now reserved to men. While disciplines can change regarding the lesser ministries; the Holy Father has affirmed the tradition that ONLY men can be ordained to holy orders. Unlike Protestant churches, they cannot be true pastors or ministers over congregations. It should be noted that Catholic law prohibits them from proclaiming the Gospel at Mass and from liturgical preaching. This reservation is no incrimination upon their human dignity; rather, it is a guarded imitation of the pattern given us by our Lord and the apostolic community. Gender is not seen as an accidental of personhood, but as a constitutive component of our identity. As such the maleness of the priest resonates in harmony with that of Christ to whom he has been sacramentally configured through ordination. He can thus function in the person of Christ, the head of the Church. He is a true icon of Christ. He signifies Christ the bridegroom at the marriage banquet of the Mass to his bride, the Church. Women priests in this context would imply a sort of sacramental lesbianism.
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Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Discipleship, Priests, Sacraments |
Blogger Priest 
This subject I have to speak out of both sides of the mouth. The strength that Catholic women have proved in church history is extraordinary, I’m referring to the sisters that have chosen a religious life. their work and life brings credit to the church their ministry has been teach, to pray, to aid the sick, and the dying. that is the simplistic roll. I have all ways been honored to walk along side these women. As for the Priesthood No, The Priest is head of house hold, the church, the sisters are the bides of Jesus nurturing Mankind to his side.
“In his image created He them, male and female” says Genesis. Is this scripture not saying that together male and female are the image of God? I believe that a Church lead only by men would not reflect the image of God so much as a church lead by both male and female.
In the context of 1 Corinthians 14 women were not being addressed as prophets or teachers but as questioners. It does not seem apparent in the text that men are allowed to question during church meeting anymore than women. There was obviously an explicit reason why Paul wrote than concerning women.
Thanks for posting Father Joe.
I would be less opposed to married priests than female priests.
Women run parish offices, function as directors of religious education, readers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, catechists, consecrated religious, volunteer on altar guilds, pay the bills, etc. They make a big difference! From the workplace to motherhood in the home, they are at the heart of the Church.